Name: Plum and Frangipane Tart
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 200 g plain flour; 100 g unsalted butter (chilled and cubed); 30 g caster sugar; 1 medium egg; 2 tbs cold water (very cold); 100 g unsalted butter (softened); 100 g caster sugar; 2 medium eggs lightly beaten; 20 drops of high strength natural almond flavouring; 2 tbs plain flour; 100 g ground almonds; 5 - 6 medium sized plums (de-stoned and sliced in half); handful of flaked almonds

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This Plum and Frangipane Tart has a buttery shortcrust pastry, that's filled with an almond frangipane (pastry cream) and fresh plums. With a scattering of flaked almonds for good measure.

Baked Tart on a counter top with Flaked Almonds and Plums

I often buy fresh plums for stewing. I slice them in half and de-stone them. Then place them in an ovenproof dish with a little water and bake on medium heat for around 20 mins. They are delicious for breakfast with cereals and milk. Or on their own with plain yoghurt.

Plums also make a great comforting pudding. What I like about this recipe is how the sharpness of the plums complements nicely with the sweet pastry and almond flavoured frangipane filling. Alternative seasonal fruits can be used, such as blackberries in autumn or rhubarb in early summer.

If you haven't made pastry before, don't worry. Give it a try and see how you get on. It helps to have a food processor. But rubbing the butter and flour together with your fingertips will work just as well.

This tart can be served on its own with fresh cream, custard or if you want to go down the decadent route, try serving with Crème Légère.

It can also be served as part of an Afternoon Tea Menu with a deliciously moist Yorkshire Tea Loaf, or an easy to make Victoria Sponge cake.

If you love making pastry, you may also like to try this Cottage Cheese Curd Tart using Cottage Cheese rather than traditional curd. 'It's a keeper' as one of my readers describes it. Then there's this Raspberry and Blueberry Custard tart With a creme patisserie filling. Or this Rustic Apple and Pomegranate Galette.

What goes in a Plum and Frangipane Tart

Here's what you need.

What is Frangipane?

Frangipane is an almond-flavoured sweet pastry cream. Often used in various desserts such as cakes and tarts. It is usually made with sugar, flour, eggs, butter and ground almonds. With the addition of some Almond extract to enhance the almond flavour.

Frangipane pastry cream works really well as a pastry tart filling with seasonal fruits such as apples, rhubarb and sort berries such as Raspberries, Blackberries and Blueberries.

How to make a Plum and Frangipane Tart

For this recipe. It's important to choose the correct sized tin for the amount of pastry it makes. I always use a Rectangular loose-bottomed Tart tin 36 cm x 12cm x 3cm (14" x 4¾" x 1”)

I also lightly grease the sides and bottom of the tin using soft butter. Dust with a little flour if you wish. Remember to shake off any excess.

How to Make the Pastry

Place the flour, butter and sugar into a food processor and pulse until you have fine breadcrumbs. If you don't have a food processor, use your fingertips instead. It'll take a little longer. Which is another reason to make sure the butter is fridge cold.
Add the egg and one tablespoon of very cold water. Pulse again until the pastry dough comes together.
If the dough hasn’t come together, gradually add the remaining water until it does. You may not need it all.

Roll the pastry out thinly onto a lightly floured surface. Line your tin, (Fig 1) allowing a little pastry to hang over the sides to accommodate any shrinkage while it rests.

Place in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes. This is essential if you have a warm kitchen. It helps to relax the pastry before baking.

How to make Frangipane/almond flavoured pastry cream.

It's relatively easy to make a frangipane filling. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.

Add the drops of almond flavouring to the eggs, giving it a little mix. This will ensure the almond flavouring is dispersed throughout the frangipane filling. Add this to the butter and sugar mixture along with the flour. Mix until well combined.

Add the ground almonds and mix until well combined.

Take the pastry case out of the fridge and cut off any excess pastry. To do this, (Fig 2) pass the rolling pin over the edges of the tin.
Spread the frangipane pastry cream filling evenly over the pastry base. Decorate with the plums, pressing them down slightly as you go. Top with flaked almonds. (Fig 3)
Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until the surface of the frangipane becomes nice and golden. The pastry should have a nice golden colour too. (Fig 4)
Leave to cool in the tin a little before serving.

Baker's Tips

When making the pastry, keep the butter as cold as you can.
Placing the pastry in the fridge gives it a chance to rest before baking.
Grate your fridge cold butter into a bowl and place in the freezer for 20 mins before you start to make the pastry. This will help keep everything cold. Especially if you are using your fingertips to rub the butter and flour together.
Use a good quality Almond Extract. This will enhance the flavour of the Ground Almonds. Which generally doesn't have much flavour to it.

Keen to bake more?

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