Preparation

Prepare the pastry

• Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles even, coarse sand. Alternatively, pulse the mixture in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal with some slightly large pieces. Add 4 Tbs. of the ice water tothe mixture and stir with a fork (or pulse in the processor) until a shaggy dough forms. Add up to 2 more Tbs. of water but stop before the dough gets too wet. It should just hold together when squeezed.
• Gather the dough into a rough ball with your hands. Put a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and place the dough on it. Wrap the dough and flatten it into a 6-inch square. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours or up to 2 days. Alternatively, freeze the dough, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured, large piece of parchment paper, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch-thick square (about 12 inches square). Transfer the dough, on its parchment, to a rimmed baking sheet. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Prepare the topping

• In a clean spice blender or coffee grinder, process 2 Tbs. of the sugar with the cardamom seeds and transfer to a large bowl. Without breaking the slices, toss the apple slices in the cardamom sugar. Overlap and alternate the apple slices and fig slices in neat rows on top of the pastry, leaving a 1/4-inch bare border on all 4 sides. Sprinkle evenly with any remaining cardamom sugar and the remaining 2 Tbs. of sugar and dot with the butter pieces. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the fruit is tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Immediately after pulling the tart from the oven, run a flat spatula around the edges to loosen it from any caramelized sugar on the pan.
• Brush the warm tart with the strained apricot jam. Serve warm or at room temperature.