When you mix the richness of brown sugar with the fruity flavour of figs, you get a treat that will leave you wanting more. For this recipe, get your hands on dried black mission figs. They have a deep, dark almost berry-like, fruit flavour that you won’t find in other varieties.
Ingredients
- 95g / ½ cup Brown sugar
- 75g / ⅓ cup Crystal margarine, melted, plus extra for brushing
- 1 Egg
- 5ml / 1 tsp Almond extract
- 240g / 2 cups Dried Figs, stems removed and chopped
- 95g / 1 cup Almonds, ground
- 1 Puff pastry
- 84g / ¼ cup Honey for garnish
- 45g / ½ cup Almonds, sliced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Prepare the puff pastry.
3. While the puff pastry is resting in the fridge, begin preparing the filling. In a large bowl combine the brown sugar and eggs with a whisk, until the mixture is even.
4. Pour the melted Crystal margarine and almond extract into the sugar mixture, whisking again until smooth.
5. Add the ground almonds and chopped figs into the wet mixture, and fold until evenly coated.
6. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge, and roll out to ½” thickness. Cut the dough into 4 rectangles.
7. Now take the first rectangle and place the length side in front of you, lightly mark the dough into 3 equal sections, but don’t cut through the dough.
8. Begin slicing the outside portions into strips on an angle, leaving them attached to the middle segment. These will be used to braid the danish.
9. Place ¼ of the filling down the center section of the danish. Starting in front of you fold the middle portion over the filing to cap the end and repeat with the other side. Begin alternating left and right with the strips all the way down the danish, tucking the last few ends inside the end of the danish.
10. Transfer the danish to a baking sheet, brush with extra melted margarine, and sprinkle the the sliced almonds on top.
11. Repeat the building process with the other 3 danishes.
12. Place the danishes into the oven and bake at 450°F (230°C) for 6 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C), for another 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown all over.
13. Remove the danishes from the oven and immediately drizzle them liberally with honey, before allowing them to cool for at least 20 minutes before enjoying.
Chef’s Notes
- Be sure to remove the woody, tough stems found on top of the figs. The can be quite tough and unpleasant to eat.
- If you want to use fresh figs, by all means go ahead, just replace the dried figs with fresh figs. Keep in mind the filling may run a little bit while baking due to the extra juice.
- Don’t want to make smaller danishes? Need a show stopping dish for brunch? Make this as one big long danish, instead of cutting it into 4 pieces.
