Pistachio and Black Doris Plum Tart

, from Issue #25. September, 2015
Photography by Nick Tresidder.
Pistachio and Black Doris Plum Tart

The plums can be replaced with tinned apricot halves or use fresh fruit when in season.

Serves: 6–8

INGREDIENTS

1 x 750 gram tin Black Doris plums, drained
70 grams pistachios
40 grams ground almonds
1/3 cup self-raising flour
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
100 grams butter, melted
finely grated zest 1 large lime and 1⁄2 an orange
2 eggs, lightly beaten (we used free-range)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed

To serve
softly whipped cream

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease an 11 x 35 cm or a 24 cm round tart tin with a removable base and line it with baking paper, large enough to come up the sides of the tin.

Halve and stone the plums. Place cut side down on kitchen towels to remove excess moisture.

Put the pistachios and ground almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Set aside one tablespoon of the nuts and tip the remaining nuts into a medium bowl. Add the flour, sugar, butter, lime and orange zests, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon to combine. Pour the mixture into the lined tart tin and spread out evenly.

Arrange the plums, cut side down, on top of the batter. You will probably only use 12-14 halves depending on the size of the plums. Reserve the remaining plums.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is puffed and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and brush the top with warm apricot jam. Cool.

To serve: Remove the tart from the tin and place on a serving platter. Scatter with the reserved ground nuts and dust lightly with icing sugar. Serve at room temperature with softly whipped cream.

Menu: Serve this with Gruyere Cheese and Caraway Seed Wafers to start, and Pork Fillet, Parsnip Mash and Black Olive Dressing for main.

The tart can be made 2 days ahead. Store it in a cool place in an airtight container but do not refrigerate. Any excess plums can be crushed with a fork and gently folded through the cream.