I made this one Christmas, after a trial run at home. The trial run went better, my oven heats evenly and I know the sizes of my pans. On the day, in a rented house, it came out unevenly, but it was still delicious. This is a simple recipe that is worth rehearsing to get it right.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large ripe plums, stoned, quartered, and chilled overnight
- 60g butter
- 60g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 300g puff pastry
METHOD:
- Put the plums into a dish lined with kitchen paper, cut side down, and chill overnight.
- Turn the oven to 200C
- Take a non-stick oven-proof pan, and cover the base with the butter, sliced, and the sugar. Next, put the plums in, cut side down, in a well-packed layer, and then sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat until the butter/sugar caramelises, gently agitating the pan and keeping a close eye. (An 8 inch dish would be fine) This doesn’t take long, five to ten minutes, and the caramel should be a lovely brown colour.
- Next, roll out the pastry, cut to fit over the plums in the dish. Tuck the edges down over the plums to create an upside-down pastry case.
- Bake for 15 minutes. If the pastry is not completely golden-brown and crisp, lower the heat to 180C and continue for up to another 10 minutes.
Turn the tarte out onto a serving dish, and serve with thick cream, mascarpone or ice-cream.