PChristmas uding doesn't actually have to be Christmas pudding. But it feels right to pinch and borrow the best of other festive dishes. Christmas cake marzipan, orange and spices. Roasted currant jelly. Sherry someone is wooing. This is my type of dessert. Alternative and traditional at the same time.
Spiced plum and marzipan tart with crème fraiche
This warm and comforting tart makes a great alternative to Christmas pudding. Use plums with dark skin and very firm skin so that they hold their shape during cooking. If you want to make them ahead of time, make the tarts complete with the marzipan topping a day or so in advance and store them in the refrigerator. However, only add the plums when you are ready to bake. Serve warm or at room temperature.
preparation 20 minutes
cook half an hour
service 6-8
1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry (320g)
1 egg yolkbeaten
1 1/2 tablespoons demerara sugar
Marzipan 130g
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon flaked sea salt
1kg of very hard plumsthrow a stone and cut it into quarters
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons cornflour
Sherry 60mlor other fortified wines
Currant jelly 50g
Crème fraiche or hot custardserve
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas. 7. Place the pastry sheet on a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and use the back of a knife to lightly score a 1cm border around the pastry. Edges (bake creates raised edges of the filling).
Brush egg yolk all over the pastry and sprinkle Demerara sugar all over the border. Poke holes all over the inner rectangle of pastry with a fork, grate coarsely on the marzipan (again, only on the inner rectangle), and sprinkle over the orange zest and salt.
Combine the plum quarters, cinnamon, cornflour and 1 tablespoon of the sherry in a bowl and arrange the fruit on top of the marzipan, slightly overlapping to decorate. Discard any remaining liquid in the bowl.
Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the tray once halfway through baking, until the pastry is golden brown and the plums are soft but still holding their shape. Remove from the oven and place the tray on a rack to cool slightly.
To make the glaze, combine the remaining 45ml sherry and red currant jelly in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling vigorously and slightly syrupy. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze all over the plums, then slice the tart and serve with crème fraîche or hot custard.
