A sumptuous and extravagant tart courtesy of Marco Pierre White. It may not sound exciting but it really is delectable.
Pastry: see the recipe for tarte au citron.
Prunes:
50g caster sugar
100g prunes, stoned and cut into dice
75 ml Armagnac or Calvados
Filling:
150ml milk
350ml whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, halved
6 egg yolks, beaten
75g caster sugar
For the prunes, put the sugar in a small pan with 75 ml water, bring slowly to the boil, and simmer for 1 minute. Cool and put in a bowl with the armagnac and prunes. Marinate for at least four hours.
Make and blind-bake the pastry as described in the tarte au citron recipe.
For the filling, pour the milk and cream into a bowl, and add the vanilla pod, egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together without making it frothy. Then drain the prunes very thoroughly and add to the mixture. Leave aside for an hour.
Heat the oven to 120C/250F, i.e. very cool — it’s this slow cooking that makes the filling so unctuous. Put the pastry case on a baking tray in the oven and carefully pour in the filling mixture. Bake for about an hour or until just set. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature (or at least lukewarm) before eating. You can have cream with it if you like.