Plum and hazelnut tart

Name: Plum and hazelnut tart
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 10-12
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 sheet of store-bought sweet shortcrust pastry; 10 small blood plums, halved, stones removed; 30g unsalted butter, diced; 75g caster sugar; 40ml limoncello; 3 tbsp plum jam; 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Neil Perry

March 15, 2016

Time:2 hours +Serves:10-12

Early Autumn is the perfect time of year to celebrate sweet treats with a decadent, nutty plum tart.

Ingredients

1 sheet of store-bought sweet shortcrust pastry
10 small blood plums, halved, stones removed
30g unsalted butter, diced
75g caster sugar
40ml limoncello
3 tbsp plum jam
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

For the filling

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/4 cups ground hazelnuts
3 eggs
1/4 cup plain flour

Method

Step 1
Butter and flour a 24cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Roll out pastry to 3mm thick. Cut out a circle allowing a 5cm border around the tin base. Gently ease pastry into the tin, carefully pushing in sides. Rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Step 3
Lay plums in a roasting tray, cut side up. Place a piece of butter on top of each plum then sprinkle with the caster sugar.
Step 4
Mix limoncello with 1 1/2 tbsp water and drizzle over plums. Roast for 20 minutes, basting occasionally, until softened but not collapsing. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Step 5
Pour liquid from roasting plums into a small pan, then add the jam. Reduce over a low heat to create a glaze. Set aside.
Step 6
Take pastry from fridge. Trim excess pastry and prick base a few times with a fork to prevent blistering and rising. Line tart tin with foil, add raw rice and blind-bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, lift out foil and rice, then return to oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, until the base has dried out.
Step 7
For the filling, beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugar and mix until combined, then add ground hazelnuts and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gently fold in flour. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 8
Reduce oven to 160°C. Fill the tart case with filling (it should be about 2/3 full) then arrange plum halves on top, cut side up, so they are touching but not overlapping. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean, then remove from oven.
Step 9
Reheat plum glaze, then brush over tart. Scatter with the chopped toasted hazelnuts, slice and serve.