Plum and apricot brioche tart with crème fraîche custard

  • Portion size: Serves 8-10
  • Hands-on time 25 min, plus 1 hour proving. Oven time 25 min
  • Difficulty: medium
Recipe by: Anna Higham

This extra special brioche tart makes the most of the summer’s fruit. A crème fraîche custard  captures the delicious fruit juices and provides a silky foil for the sweet plums and apricots.

Leave plenty of time to make our homemade brioche dough before starting the rest of the tart. It’s worth having a batch in the freezer ready for when stone fruits are at their peak.

Recipe by Anna Higham, pastry chef, baker and author of The Last Bite (DK £22).

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Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for greasing
  • ½ quantity brioche dough, chilled
  • Plain flour to dust
  • 8-10 stone fruit (we used plums and apricots)
  • 50g caster sugar
  • Finely grated zest and juice ½ lemon
  • Whole milk to brush
  • Demerara sugar to sprinkle

For the custard

  • 25g caster sugar
  • 300g crème fraîche
  • 1 medium free-range egg
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp mahlab (see Know-how)
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Method

  1. Lightly oil a shallow oven tray, at least 35cm x 25cm in size, and line with baking paper. Take the chilled brioche dough from the fridge and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, trying to keep it in its rectangular shape. Roll the dough out into a 40cm x 30cm rectangle. Using a sharp knife, mark a line 5cm in from the edge, all the way around the dough.
  2. Transfer the dough to the lined tray, then use scissors to make inward cuts all the way around the edge of the dough with a 2-3cm gap between each. Cut to the marked line so the dough looks like a fringed rug. Twist and press each of these fringes into the central part of the dough, slightly overlapping each other to create a braided effect around the edge. Loosely cover the dough and put somewhere warm to rise for 1 hour.
  3. When the dough is almost risen, heat the oven to 190°C fan/gas 6.5. Whisk together all the ingredients for the crème fraîche custard and set aside. Cut each stone fruit into 8 wedges, then toss with the sugar and the lemon zest and juice.
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  5. Unwrap the risen dough and use your fingers to make lots of dimples in the central rectangle (like you would with a focaccia), then spread the custard evenly on top. Tumble the macerated fruit on top of the custard, along with any juices in the bowl. Brush the edges of the tart with a little milk and sprinkle generously with demerara sugar.
  6. Bake for about 35 minutes until the dough is deeply golden and the custard has risen and has a pleasingly jelly-like wobble. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before lifting from the roasting dish. You can enjoy the tart warm or allow it to cool completely and eat it cold.

Nutrition

  • 390kcals Calories
  • 24g (14.8g saturated) Fat
  • 5.5g Protein
  • 36g (17.2g sugars) Carbs
  • 2.8g Fibre
  • 0.4g Salt

Quick wins & tips

Easy swaps: Greengages, blackcurrants, raspberries and peaches will all be delicious here.

Cook smarter

Mahlab is a spice made from the ground stones of the St Lucy cherry. You can buy it online or leave it out if you like – although it does lend a wonderfully fragrant almond-like flavour.

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