P
Italian · Marche
Crostata di Marmellata di Fichi alla Marchigiana
Fig jam tart from Marche using a buttery, crumbly pasta frolla (shortcrust) filled with handmade fig conserva from local black figs. The pasta frolla is enriched with lard (in addition to butter) for the specific crumbly, short texture traditional in Marchigiana pastry; the fig jam is made with whole figs or rough pieces, sugar, and lemon — not a smooth purée but a thick, textured jam where pieces of fig remain visible. The lattice top is the traditional finishing — strips of pasta frolla laid over the jam in a diagonal grid, pressed at the edges, and baked until golden.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the pasta frolla
300 g
plain flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
unsalted butter
cold, cut into small pieces
Your own market
50 g
lard
cold, cut into small pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120 g
caster sugar
Your own market
2
eggs
whole, lightly beaten
Your own market
1 pinch
ground cinnamon
Your own market
1 pinch
anise seed
lightly crushed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
fine salt
Your own market
For the fig conserva
800 g
black figs
whole or cut into rough pieces, skins on
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
caster sugar
Your own market
1
lemon
juice only
Your own market
For the egg wash
1
egg yolk
Your own market
1 tsp
whole milk
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Make the fig conserva. Combine the figs, sugar, and lemon juice in a heavy pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and pieces of fig remain visible but the liquid has reduced to a heavy, coating consistency. The conserva is ready when a spoonful placed on a cold plate sets firmly and does not run.
2
Transfer the conserva to a bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. It must be fully at room temperature before use — cold conserva tears the uncooked pastry when spread.
3
Make the pasta frolla. Place the flour, cinnamon, anise seed, and salt in a wide bowl. Add the cold butter and cold lard. Rub the fats into the flour with fingertips — working quickly so the fats remain cold — until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large pieces of fat visible. This is where the dish lives or dies: warm fat produces a greasy rather than crumbly result, and over-working the dough once the egg is added develops gluten, making the pastry tough and difficult to roll. Stop the moment the dough comes together.
From the canon — Pasta frolla — Italian short pastry, used for crostata (jam tarts), pastiera (Neapolitan Easter tart), and pastry shells across the Italian tradition — diffe… Pasta Frolla: Italian Short Pastry →
4
Add the beaten eggs to the breadcrumb mixture. Bring the dough together with minimal kneading — press and fold only until a cohesive mass forms. Shape into a flat disc, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The dough is rested when it is firm enough to roll without tearing and holds a clean edge when cut.
5
Divide the rested dough: two-thirds for the base, one-third for the lattice. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece to a round approximately 3–4 mm thick and large enough to line a 24 cm tart tin with sides. Lift carefully and press into the tin without stretching; trim the excess flush with the rim.
6
Spread the room-temperature fig conserva evenly over the pastry base in a layer of approximately 1 cm depth. The filling must be thick and hold its shape — a fluid jam will make the base soggy.
7
Roll the remaining dough to the same thickness. Cut strips 1.5–2 cm wide. Lay them diagonally across the tart in a grid, pressing each strip firmly at the edges to seal. Strips narrower than 1.5 cm will shrink to thin lines during baking. Refrigerate the assembled tart for 15 minutes.
8
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Whisk the egg yolk with the milk and brush over the lattice strips. Bake until the lattice is deep golden and the base, when tested at the edge with a thin skewer, feels fully cooked through with no raw dough resistance. Pale pastry is undercooked.
9
Allow the tart to cool completely in the tin before unmoulding. The tart improves after 24 hours at room temperature — the jam sets further and the pastry absorbs a small amount of fig moisture.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Handmade black fig conserva from August-harvest local figs, cooked the same day as picked, with skins and seeds intact for texture; lard from a heritage breed rendered at home; stone-milled soft wheat flour.
02
Estate — Artisan black fig jam of identified provenance — thick, textured, not a smooth purée — sourced from a Marchigiana producer; high-quality commercial lard; unsalted butter from a single creamery.
03
Market — Good-quality commercial fig jam, confirmed thick enough to hold its shape on a cold plate; standard supermarket lard and unsalted butter. Acceptable if the jam passes the set test.
04
House — All-butter pasta frolla without lard — richer but lacking the specific crumbly shortness of the Marchigiana tradition; commercial smooth fig jam used without testing for set. A different tart, but workable.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The rubbed-in fat-flour mixture feels like coarse, dry breadcrumbs with no perceptible warmth from the fat — if it feels greasy or clumping, the fat has warmed and the mixture must be chilled before proceeding.
◇Touch. The rested dough is firm, not tacky, and yields a clean edge when cut with a knife — it holds its shape without springing back when rolled.
◇Sight. A spoonful of conserva placed on a cold plate sets to a firm mound within one minute and does not spread or run at the edges.
◇Sight. The baked lattice is uniformly deep golden, not pale; the filling at the edges bubbles gently and has darkened slightly at the contact points with the pastry.
◇Smell. The cooled tart carries a warm, figgy fragrance with a background note of cinnamon and anise — the aroma of the conserva should be present but not sharp or over-caramelised.
◇Where it lives or dies. The fat must remain cold throughout the rubbing-in, and the dough must not be worked beyond the moment it coheres — warm fat or overworked gluten produces pastry that is greasy rather than crumbly and collapses or toughens in the oven.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
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