Free Fold Plum Tart

a home made fruit pie or tart is the perfect dessert. Recently I've been trying out an interesting idea; a free fold tart where the pastry is rolled out to a circle, topped with the fruit and folded back over the filling. Once you get the hang of this easy fruit tart, there will be no stopping you, try it with apples and blackberries as well. I use an old fashioned enamel pie plate here. You may well find you have one lurking in the kitchen cupboard, if not you can shape this plum tart directly on a baking tray.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6  ounces flour
• 3  ounces butter
• 2  tablespoons  cold water
•  milk, for decorating
•  granulated sugar, for decorating
•  icing sugar, for dusting

• FOR THE FILLING

• 2  ounces  skinned hazelnuts
• 2 1⁄4 lbs red plums or 2 1⁄4 lbs purple plums
• 2 -3  tablespoons sugar
• 1  tablespoon cornstarch
•  grated nutmeg
• 1⁄2 ounce butter, in flakes

Directions

1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the butter in pieces and rub in gently using only the fingertips.
3. Sprinkle over 2 TBS of cold water and stir to moisten the mix.
4. With floured fingers, draw the ingredients together to form a dough.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured work wurface and knead gently for a moment.
6. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
7. Toast the skinned hazelnuts, then whiz in a blender to make fine crumbs.
8. Cut the plums in half, along the natural line, and twist the halves in opposite directions to separate.
9. Remove the stones and slice the plums into a mixing bowl.
10. Combine the sugar, cornflour and a seasoning of nutmeg.
11. Sprinkle over the fruits and toss to mix.
12. Roll the pastry to a circle large enough to line a 9 inch butter pie plate with 2 inch to spare all around.
13. Trim the pastry if uneven.
14. Transfer the pastry to the pie plate, allowing the excess to overhang the edge.
15. Spread the ground hazelnuts over the tart base, the nuts will absorb the excess fruit juices and keep the base crust dry.
16. Pile on the plums with flakes of butter and spread out evenly.
17. Fold the pastry edges inwards around the rim, leaving the centre of the tart exposed.
18. Heat oven to 400*F.
19. Brush the pastry with milk, sprinkle with sugar.
20. Set the tart in the heated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
21. Cool slightly, then dust with icing sugar and serve warm with cream or ice cream if desired.