Plum and Frangipane Tart with Yellow Pea Flour Pastry

Plum and Frangipane Tart with Yellow Pea Flour Pastry

by Christine McFadden

Christine McFadden's new book Flour: A Comprehensive Guide is a tour de force, comprehensively covering flours of every kind, from almond to yam. Among the recipes for pea flour, fava bean flour and quinoa flour is this excellent plum and frangipane tart made with "the most beautiful melt-in-the-mouth" yellow pea flour pastry.

Yellow pea flour makes the most beautiful melt-in-the-mouth pastry. It's gluten-free and wonderful to work with. Crimson plums set off the rich yellow colour. The idea for the filling came from my food writer friend Lesley Mackley, who does a lovely version with pears instead of plums.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • Vegetable Oil for greasing
  • 6 Red Plums, ripe
  • Caster Sugar for sprinkling
  • 4 tbsp Quince, Redcurrant or Apricot Jelly, melted, to glaze
for the Pastry
  • 160g Yellow Pea Flour
  • 2 tbsp Icing Sugar
  • 100g Unsalted Butter, cold
  • 1½ tbsp Thick Plain Yoghurt
  • 1½ tbsp Egg, beaten
for the Frangipane
  • 75g Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 125g Caster Sugar
  • 1 large Egg, organic or free-range
  • 1 large Egg Yolk, organic or free-range
  • 1 tbsp Brandy or Amaretto Liqueur (optional)
  • 125g Ground Almonds

Method

  1. First make the pastry. Sift the pea flour and icing sugar then tip into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse briefly until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the yogurt and egg, then pulse in short bursts until the mixture begins to clump. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
  2. Tip the dough on to a well-floured surface. Roll into a ball, then flatten into a 12cm (4½in) disc, ready for rolling out. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 30 minutes.
  3. For the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the whole egg, followed by the yolk.
  4. Finally add the brandy, if you’re using it, and the ground almonds. Mix well to combine, then set aside.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put a baking tray in to heat. Grease the base and sides of a 24.5x2.5cm (9¾x1in) fluted metal tart tin, making sure the sides are well lubricated. Line the base with a circle of baking parchment and grease the paper too.
  6. Once the dough is chilled, remove from the fridge. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the pastry to a thin 30cm (12in) circle. Carefully drape it over your rolling pin and lower it into the tin. Press the side of your index finger into the edge to even out the thickness. Trim the top with a small sharp knife. Spoon the frangipane into the pastry case, smoothing the surface with a spatula.
  7. Slice the plums in half lengthways and remove the stone. Slice each half lengthways into four segments. Starting from the outer edge of the tart, arrange a double row of overlapping segments in four north-south-east-west ‘spokes’, leaving a quadrant of uncovered frangipane between each spoke. Make an attractive rosette of slices where the spokes meet. Sprinkle the plums with caster sugar.
  8. Bake for 35–40 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too much. Remove from the oven and leave to settle in the tin for 20 minutes.
  9. Carefully ease the tart out of the tin and slide on to a serving plate. Brush with the melted jelly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Extract taken from Flour by Christine McFadden (Absolute Press, £26)
Photography © Mike Cooper




Christine McFadden
Christine McFadden

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