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Mirabelle plum tart
Tarte aux mirabelles, Lorraine's late-summer plum tart
Lorraine grows most of the world's mirabelles, small golden plums with a blush of red that ripen for only a few weeks from mid-August, when Metz holds its Mirabelle festival and every pâtisserie in Nancy fills its window with this tart. The plums are halved and packed tightly into a crisp shortcrust, sometimes over a thin layer of almond or semolina to soak up the juice, and they bake into a jammy, honey-sweet layer. Families eat it warm or cold for Sunday dessert or at four-o'clock goûter. Out of season, use small yellow plums or halved apricots. Chef's tip: stand the halves upright and overlapping, cut side up; they shrink as they bake, and a tight layer stops the tart looking bare.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 8 oz plain flour
- 4 oz cold unsalted butterdiced
- 1 oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 oz ground almonds
- 1 ¾ lb mirabelle plumshalved and stoned, or small yellow plums
- 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)to dust
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 4 oz cold unsalted butter into 8 oz plain flour, 1 oz caster sugar and 1 pinch salt with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Mix in 1 egg yolk and 3 tbsp cold water with a knife until the dough clumps, then press it into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) with a baking tray on the middle shelf. Roll the pastry to 3 mm and line a 26 cm tart tin, leaving a little overhang. Prick the base all over and chill for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Sprinkle 1 oz ground almonds over the base. This thin layer drinks up the plum juice so the pastry stays crisp.
Step 4: Arrange 1 ¾ lb mirabelle plums cut side up in tight overlapping circles, standing them slightly on their sides. Sprinkle with ⅔ oz caster sugar.
Step 5: Set the tin on the hot tray and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the pastry edge is golden and the plums are soft and colouring at the tips. Sprinkle with ⅔ oz caster sugar for the last 10 minutes so it glazes.
40 minStep 6: Trim the overhang with a sharp knife while warm. Common mistake: cutting the tart hot from the oven; let it cool for at least 20 minutes so the juices set into a jam.
20 minStep 7: Dust the edge with 1 tbsp icing sugar and serve warm or cold, plain or with crème fraîche.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mirabelle plum tart take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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