This is blog number 300,
I offer myself hearty congratulations

Since the early seventies I have been cooking variations of this tart which I first cooked it in “The Wife of Bath” in Kent .
The first variation was a Nectarine and Almond one.
I also cooked an Orange and Almond variation there which was very good, the slices of orange being blanched first to lose some of their bitterness, and I think it was there that I first cooked the most classic French version; Pear and Almond.
The tart is truly classic French, one of the most common of all tarts found in French restaurants and Patisseries.
The almond mix is a frangipane cream, as used also in that other classic of French cookery, Gateau Pithiviers.
Yesterday, having some friends for lunch, I made another variation, Plum and Almond.
I am beginning to think this one is the best, especially as there are lots of plums about now, and most of them sold so under ripe as to definitely need cooking to bring them up to standard.
As I also have given some further tweaks to the classic recipe and managed to remember to take a shot of it as I took it out of the oven, I have now decided that the recipe has reached blog (sic) standard.

Plum and Almond Tart

For a 23 cm.(9ins.) tart or quiche tin

Pastry;
110g (4 oz.) Flour
60g (2 oz.) Butter
2 to 3 tablespoons Water

Filling:
110g (4 oz) Butter (preferably unsalted)
110g (4 oz). Caster Sugar
110g (4 oz.). Ground Almonds
2 Eggs
8 to 10 fresh plums
2 oz. Slivered Almonds

Set the oven to Gas 2, 150C, 300F.

Blend the butter with the flour(either by rubbing in or in a food processor)
Knead in the water and use this pastry to line a 12ins. tart tin.

Cover this with tinfoil or some non-stick paper and then with weights.
(I have recently been told that the contents of the penny jar make ideal weights and the metal helps the pastry to cook fast)

Cook with the weights in for about 10 mts. then remove and cook for another 5 to 10 to gently brown the pastry.
The next part can also be easily done in a food processor.
Beat the butter with the sugar until light.
Beat in the eggs, the ground almonds
Pour this mixture into the lined tin.
Quarter the plums and take out the stones.
Push the quartered plums into the almond mixture and scatter over the slivered almonds..
Bake at 150C/300F/Gas 2 for 35 mts.
Test with a skewer like a cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream or Crème Fraiche