Scorched Plum and Almond Tart

Serves 8-10, Prep and Cook: 1 hour, 45 mins

1½ cups plain flour

¹⁄³ cup sugar

125g cold unsalted butter, chopped 1 egg

Cream, to serve

FILLING

25g unsalted butter

500g small red plums (9), halved,

stones removed

1 tblsp honey

100g unsalted butter, chopped, at

room temperature

½ cup caster sugar

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 eggs

1¼ cups almond meal (125g) 2 tblsps plain flour

2 tblsps plum jam

1 Grease a 25cm round x 3.5cm deep, loose-base flan tin (base measures 24cm).

2 To make pastry, process flour, sugar and butter in a food processor to form fine crumbs. Add egg. Process to bring ingredients together. Turn out dough. Shape into a disc. Cover. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

3 Roll out pastry between two sheets of baking paper until large enough to line base and side of tin. Remove top sheet of paper. Invert pastry over tin. Remove other sheet of paper and ease pastry into tin. Trim edge. Patch any cracks with pastry trimmings. Place on an oven tray. Refrigerate while making filling.

4 To make filling, melt butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add plums, cut-side down. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until lightly scorched. Drizzle honey over plums. Shake pan gently until honey comes to the boil. Remove pan from heat, leaving plums in pan.

5 Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in the small bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Stir in almond meal and flour.

6 Spread jam over base, then spread evenly with almond mixture. Arrange plums, cut-side up, over almond mixture, pressing in lightly.

7 Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is evenly browned. Cover with foil. Cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is cooked in the centre when lightly touched with fingertips. Remove. Stand in tin for 30 minutes.

8 Serve warm or at room temperature with cream.

Plums and almonds team with buttery pastry and a hint of honey in this delightful sweet tart