Fig Bars with Red Wine and Anise Seeds

Ingredients

• 0.8 teaspoon anise seeds 
• 0.8  cooking wine dry red
• 1 large eggs (large)
• 10 ounces figs dried black stemmed chopped
• 1.5 cups flour for dusting all-purpose plus more
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 0.8 teaspoon lemon zest grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
• 0.3 cup sugar 
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 1 stick butter unsalted softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• oven
• hand mixer
• pastry bag

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine the figs, wine, sugar, lemon zest, anise seeds and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the figs are softened and the liquid is syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup.
2. Let the figs cool in their syrup, then puree in a food processor until smooth.
3. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip.
4. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Beat in the sugar, vanilla, zest and salt at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the egg. At low speed, beat in the 1 1/2 cups of flour. Divide the dough in half, shape into rectangles and wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, 20 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 35
6. Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of floured parchment to a 9-by-12-inch rectangle, dusting with flour as needed.
7. Remove the top sheet of parchment.
8. Cut the rectangle into three 3-by-12-inch strips through the parchment and transfer to a baking sheet. Pipe two 1/2-inch-wide ropes of fig filling down the middle of each strip of dough. Refrigerate just until firm enough to fold, 5 minutes. Fold the dough over the filling and turn onto a work surface, seam side down; discard the parchment.
9. Cut each roll into 8 bars and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, until the dough is golden on the bottom.
11. Let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.