Plum and almond tart
Danny says: “This week I have gone for a autumnal dessert with some glorious plums. This may look humble but you’ll soon realise its surely decadent once you take a bite. Rich in almonds and butter it just melts in the mouth. If you want, you can use the filling, otherwise known as a frangipane, without the tart case just baked with fruit, cherries is a classic.”
Ingredients
Pastry
15g ground almonds
100g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
100g flour
65g icing sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
Filling
350g blanched almonds
350g caster sugar
350g butter
3 eggs
4 plums, cut in half
Begin by making the pastry. Blitz the almonds and icing sugar in a food processor. Sieve the mixture into a bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips rub together with the cold butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the flour and butter mixture. Work until just combined. Avoid over-working the dough. Push the dough together to form a rough disc shape. Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 1 hour, until it is firm and well rested. Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour and roll the pastry out to an even circle, about the thickness of a pound coin. There will be some excess dough which can be trimmed after cooling. Roll the pastry back onto the rolling pin and onto the tart tin. Coerce the pastry into the tin, pressing it gently into the edges. Leave the pastry overhang as it is. Chill for another hour. Preheat the oven to 150C. Trim the excess pastry to leave about 1cm hanging over the edge. Use aluminium foil to line the tart case for blind-baking. Fill with baking beans and bake the tart shell for 1 hour. Remove the pastry case from the oven and remove the foil, brush the tart with an egg wash and put back in the oven for another 20 minuets till golden brown.
To make the filling, biltz the almonds in three batches, one fine, one medium and one coarse ground. Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy add your eggs one at a time whilst continuing to beat, then fold your almonds in. Put your almond mixture in the tart case, making sure you push it into the corners. Smooth over the top, remember your mixture will rise so don’t fill it all the way. Push your plums into the filling in a circular shape. Put the tart in the oven at 180c for 40 minutes. Take out of the oven leave to cool and trim the pastry. Enjoy with a cup of tea.
