Plum Tart

Cook Time 1 hour + chilling

Servings 6

Ingredients

Pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter, cubed and cold
1 tbs. caster sugar
1 vanilla beans, seeds removed
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1-2 tbsp water (optional)

Filling 
1kg of ripe plums or preserved plums if not in season, quartered
100g almond meal
50g sugar
jam to glaze

Method

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a blender and blend until crumbs form. Add egg and keep blending until a ball of dough forms. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the dough mixture is too dry. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pre heat the oven to 180C.

Remove dough from fridge and roll out to fit into a 27cm (approx.) tart tin. To blind bake; place a large piece of greaseproof paper in the raw shell and fill the base with cooking beads or dried beans and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the paper.

Mix the almond meal and the sugar together and gently cook the mixture in a frying pan until pale gold. Spread the almond mixture in to the tart shell and then arrange the quarters of the plums, skin side down in a rose shape. Bake for about 40 minutes. Glaze with some warmed jam.