Plum and almond tart

“This rustic, nutty plum tart is incredible served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ”

350 g blanched whole almonds

300 g unsalted butter

300 g caster sugar

3 whole free-range eggs

1 handful whole pistachio nuts , shelled

500 g shortcrust pastry

6-7 plums , halved and destoned

3 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Method

1. Line a 28cm/11 inch loose-bottomed flan tin with the pastry and bake it blind.
2. In a food processor, blitz the whole almonds to a fine powder and put into a bowl. Then blitz the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add this to the almonds with the lightly beaten eggs and fold in until completely mixed and nice and smooth. Stir in the pistachio nuts, then place in the fridge to firm up slightly. Once the mixture has chilled, pour it into your tart case about three-quarters full. You don’t want to overfill it otherwise it will spill over the edge when you add the plums.
3. Toss the plums in the vanilla sugar, let them sit for 10 minutes, then push them into the tart mixture. Bake the tart on a tray at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for about 1 hour, or until the almond mix has become firm and golden on the outside but is still soft in the middle. Allow to cool for about ½ an hour and serve with ice cream or crème fraîche.