Pass me the Pastis ! Tarte aux figues au pastaga...

My dear, non French people,

Let me try to debunk another horrible prejudice that people usually have against us, the Francais.

No, we're not all obsessed with wine.

Some of us also enjoy a little glass of a stronger alcohol, from time to time.

Like Pastis for example.

This anise flavored-liquor is a must-have in any French cupboard. 

No apéritif without Pastis !

It's also deeply linked with South of France and Provence, and that's why I thought of it when I bought figs at the market this week.

Tarte aux figues au pastaga

Ingrédients

1 Sablée Crust
(1,5 cup flour, 4,5 oz butter, 3 oz sugar, 2 oz almond flour, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon salt)

1 pound Figs

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup of Pastis

Preheat the ovent at 350 F

"Le petit jaune", le pastaga... 

 There are as many names for it as any imaginative drunkard would think of, but mostly, Pastis is synonym of Marseille.

Of spending hours on a café terrace on le Vieux port,

resting from a fiercful petanque party,

and fighting about the OM new avant-centre (centre-forward soccer player)
or the reason why Zidane really headbutted Materazzi on this infamous summer of 2006...

You usually drink it with a big splash of water,

or, if you want to sound a little bit more like a connoisseur, ask for a Mauresque: pastis and orgeat syrup, la classe!

Now, pour yourself a little glass "pour la route"
(for the road),

and let's bake...






Pour faire une tarte aux figues et au Pastis

Cut the figs in two and let them bathe in the Pastis for at least one hour.

Bake the the crust alone for 10 minutes
 (make some holes in it with a fork, and protect the dough with an aluminum foil, on which you spread heavy uncooked pasta or beans)

Then spread the fruits, skin on the crust.

Cut the butter in small slices and put it all over the fruits.

Spray the sugar.

Let in the oven for around 20 minutes, then let the pie in the oven for it to cool down slowly.

Serve with goat yogurt on the side.

Ok, it's not totally diet, but it's my duty to also tell you that many of my fellow countrymen think that Pastis is very good for your health, mostly your digestive system.

Oui, vraiment ! 

Now, if you've become a pastaga lover, feel free to make this other recipe, made into music by two crazy French southener bands, "Fabulos Trobadors" and "Massilia Sound System": l'omelette au Pastis...

Bon appétit les amis !!!