Petit plum and almond tarts
I am missing summer and these fresh plums! these are sweet and delicious fresh but also taste amazing cooked. Strictly speaking these aren't classic petit fours, these are my own little creation made up of a flaky, buttery pastry base, sweet almond paste (not marzipan) and a plum sat proudly in the centre. By cooking these delicate plums the skin shrinks away leaving a bright, glossy yellow and red top, filled with sticky plum syrup and almond. I have chose to use a little sprinkle of fine semolina in these before putting the plums on the pastry, this prevent the juice of the plums seeping into the pastry which would make it lose its crispness, this way the plum
holds all the juice and the pastry stays flaky and crisp.
Makes 20 petit plum and almond tarts
Ingredients:
2tbsp semolina
10 purple plums
80g flaked, toasted almonds
100g icing sugar
1 tsp almond extract
Method:
Pre heat the oven to
Line a large flat baking tray with grease proof paper or teflon sheets.
Prepare the plums.
Wash and and slice in half removing the stone and leaving the middles hollow. Dab the flesh with a paper towel to remove some moisture.
Next prepare the almond filling.
Combine the icing sugar, flaked almonds and almond extract in a food processor and blitz until a it is soft but crumbly, you should be able to press it together and roll it in your hands.
To prepare the pastry bases, roll out the rough puff pastry to approx. 4mm thick and using a round cutter, cut 20 circles. Prick the centre with a fork and sprinkle a little of the semolina in the centre.
Next take a walnut sized amount of the almond past and roll it into a ball. puch the paste into the hollow centre of the plums.
Turn the plums over and press onto the pastry circles. Transfer to the lined baking tray.
Place he plum tarts into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown and the plums are cooked.
And that it! super simple and super yummy!
