Classic Plum Tart

Before and after glazing

This recipe is one I've been thinking about doing for a while - although my thoughts had oriented around a plum and rosemary tart, this is one that i think could be adapted to incorporate such an animal. That said, praise be to this dessert anyway as its startlingly good on its own, full of late autumn and winter promise.  With the added boon of finding some reduced plums in the supermarket yesterday, I am more than happy that this is an omen of good things.

No road to wonderfulness is easy however, and this recipe does take a bit of time. That said, it is more than well  worth the wait (and the weight, he chuckles). You wont be disappointed.


500g of sweet pastry
800g of plums halved and stones removed
A little icing sugar
2 tablespoons of apricot jam
1 tablespoon of brandy
Creme patisserie (see below)

Crème patissiere

2 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
40g of Corn flour
350ml of milk
1 vanilla pod split and scraped

Method

Blind bake the pastry case, and dry out (you can cheat and buy one, i wont tell)

Cream together the egg yolks and sugar then work in the corn flour

Bring milk and vanilla pod to the boil then allow to cool slightly

Pour the milk onto the eggs and whisk (using a bain marie)

Rinse out the pan return the custard to the heat and cook out gently stir all the time do not over cook and scramble, do not allow the mix to stick and burn

Spread crème patissiere onto the flan case

Roast the plum halves cup side upper most, sprinkle with icing sugar cook for 20 minutes

Arrange the plums on the tart

Heat up the apricot jam and brandy and glaze the plums

Chocolate & Pear Tart

Going to a fireworks party wouldn't be complete without a little sweetness. This I concluded as I pondered the weekends events, and having set in motion some pear wine for the festive period, the leftover pears seemed to provide a wonderful element for a dessert for a hearty palate.

So I decided that the classic chocolate & pear tart would be perfect. Everyone likes chocolate after all. There were also other feelgood benefits attached to this ideal. My rabbit has developed a new found love for pear peel and cores, and the cat has been guarding the oven in the hope of liberating some of this wonderful dessert.

An approving bunny :)

Happy in the knowledge that everyone is kept content from its production, im sharing with you this simple but wonderful recipe.

You will need:


125g ground almonds
- 1 Blind baked sweet pastry case
• 2 large free-range or organic eggs
• 125g butter, softened
• 95g caster sugar
• 185g dark chocolate, melted
• 3 conference pears, peeled, cored and quartered

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Roll out the pastry until ½cm thick and use it to line a 24cm tart tin. Leave in the freezer to rest for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you can.

Bake the pastry blind for around 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove, set aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

Mix your almonds, eggs, butter and sugar together and stir in the melted chocolate while it’s still warm. Pour the mixture evenly into the pastry case and then press the pears into the chocolate and almond mixture.

Bake the tart for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the chocolate and almond mixture is firm. Serve warm with crème fraîche, ice cream or double cream on its own. Personally i like cinnamon and honey creme fraiche, but thats me.

Et Voila! 

Treacle Tart

Image provided courtesy of femalefirst.co.uk

Treacle Tart is a wonderful thing and is nice year round, but often presented from late summer through winter. Its surprisingly easy to make, and provides a wondrous accompaniment in a variety of settings, inclusive of elevenses, afternoon tea, or as a dessert at mealtimes. In the more social settings however i belive its best enjoyed with coffee.

Ingredients:

500g of Golden syrup

Juice of one lemon

500g of fresh bread crumb crusts removed

50ml of double cream

2 egg yolks

Line the flan tins with sweet short crust pastry , then blind bake

Warm up the syrup & lemon juice, then add the egg yolks and beat in very slowly

Stir in the breadcrumbs and add the cream

Pour into the pastry cases and bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes or until it is light golden brown

Can be served with a variety of accompaniments inclusive of warmed pecan nuts, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, creme chantille or even double cream on its own.

Devour.