Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry

• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tbsp water

Pastry cream

• 250 ml milk
• 01/02/2013 vanilla bean (pod), split in half lengthwise
• 3 egg yolks
• 60 g sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)

Garnish

• 300 g mirabelle plums, halved and stoned

Glaze

• 50 g apricot jam
• 1 tbsp water

Method

1. Butter the tart mold.
2. Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry. Roll out the dough to a round, 3 to 4 mm thick. Line the tart mold with the dough, refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
4. Blind bake the pastry shell: Cut out a sheet of parchment paper that is slightly larger than the tart mold and fit over the dough, fill with baking beans or rice. Gently press down around the edges to ensure that the paper stays in place against the sides of the mold. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and the baking beans (or rice), return to the oven for approximately 8 minutes.
5. Prepare the pastry cream. Whisk the pastry cream before use.
6. Garnish: Spread the pastry cream onto the base of the blind-baked pastry shell. Fill with the halved mirabelle plums, arranging them in concentric circles rounded side-down. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool. Remove from the tart mold.
7. Glaze: Heat the apricot jam and water in a saucepan.
8. Bring to the boil, strain through a china-cap sieve, brush over the mirabelle plums.