Frangipane Plum Tart with Yellow Pea Pastry

Method

1. Put the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl, add the cubed butter. Rub the butter and the flour between your thumb and fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and there are no lumps of butter.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg together with four tablespoons of cold water. Pour into the flour mixture.
3. Slowly bring the ingredients together with your hands to form a dough, taking care not to overwork it (though overworking is less of an issue than it might be with a wheatflour).
4. Knead the dough lightly on a floured work surface, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate until firm (around 30 minutes).
5. To make the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs into the bowl one at a time, beating well after each addition to avoid curdling. Add the ground almonds and mix well until combined. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Dust the work surface with flour and roll the chilled dough out thinly. Use it to line one large 25cm/10in tart ring or 6-8 individual tartlet rings 8cm/3¼in in diameter. Trim away any excess.
7. Spoon the frangipane into the tart case so that it comes about halfway up the sides (it will rise significantly). Smooth over the surface with a spatula and cover the frangipane evenly with the plums.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes (15-25 minutes for the tartlets), or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown and the fruit is tender. If the pastry seems to be browning but the plums are not yet tender cover the tart with a sheet of baking foil, drop the temperature to 150 centigrade and bake for a further 10 or 15 minutes.
9. Remove the tart(s) from the oven. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, with preferred acompaniment.