I was so taken with this tart when I bought one from a patisserie in the north of France, that I quizzed the baker on how to make it. The leavened pastry (pate levee) takes a little time to make, with all the resting stages, but I think it is well worth the wait. Best served once cooled to room temperature.
Times
about a total of
20 mins work,
20 mins work,
2 hour 40 mins resting,
30 mins baking
Ingredients
15 fresh yeast
1 egg, beaten
25g caster sugar
5g salt
100g soft butter
1 pint pastry cream (creme patissiere)
Partially rehydrated prunes
Equipment
25cm (10 inch) cake tinRolling pin
Mixing bowl
Method
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk
and add to the flour in a bowl, then start mixing.
Add the egg
Then the sugar and salt.
Continue to mix with a dough hook or kneed to a dough.
Leave to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Add the egg
Then the sugar and salt.
Continue to mix with a dough hook or kneed to a dough.
Leave to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Transfer to the fridge for half an hour to firm up the dough.
Mould the dough in your hands to an even shaped disc then roll out on a floured surface to about 3mm thick.
Place the cake tin on the pastry and cut a disc around 3cm wider than the tin edge.
Line the tin with the pastry allowing the excess to form the sides of the tart.
Fill with a pint of Creme Patissiere and spread evenly over the base.
Use the off-cuts of pastry to form a lattice work and push halves of partially rehydrated prunes into the creme patissiere between the latticework.
Leave to prove for an hour.
Brush the pastry with beaten egg.
Bake at 180 C for 10 minutes.Reduce the heat to 150 C for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool and serve at room temperature.
If you wish to see a video of me making the pastry, this time for a plain tarte a la creme, there is a YouTube video, below.
and to make the creme patissiere, here's another video:
