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Delightful Russian Plum & Almond Tart Recipe

27/09/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

I like to make the most of plums being in season as they are quite easily one of my favourite fruits. Although I am not a huge fan of desserts I thought I’d try out a Russian recipe which uses gorgeous, juicy plums and almonds, another favourite of mine. First you make a basic pastry, then an almond mixture, on top of which you place the plums. After baking and glazing the tart is ready to be devoured. Trust me, this will prove to be a real family favourite.

Ingredients

For the dough

200g plain flour

115g butter

60ml sour cream

For the topping

60g caster sugar

50g butter

2 eggs

115g ground almonds

8 plums

100g Plum jam

Handful of flaked almonds for decoration

Instructions

Mix the flour and butter in a bowl until you the mixture has a breadcrumb consistency

Add the sour cream to the dough

Roll dough into a ball, put in greaseproof paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Beat 50g caster sugar into the butter

(save the remaining 10g of sugar for sprinkling over the tart before cooking)

Beat the eggs and add to the sugar and butter, alternating with the ground almonds

Mix well

Roll out dough and place on an oiled baking tray

Spread mixture onto dough, leaving a 5cm border which will be turned in later

Spread the cut plums over the mixture

Turn in the sides of the tart to create a crust

Sprinkle the remaining 10g of caster sugar over the tart

Bake for 45 minutes in an oven on 180°C or until golden brown and cooked through

Heat the jam in a saucepan

When the jam has a syrup consistency push it through a sieve and then use it to glaze the tart

Sprinkle over flaked almonds

Serve with choice of double cream or custard

Related Images:

Almond Jewish Kipferl Biscuits

30/09/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

This biscuit recipe is one of my tried and tested favourites. I took a particular interest in Jewish history and Judaism while at school after visiting the Synagogue in Reading. I studied Religious Studies after school as an extra GCSE and during the year in which we looked at Judaism, Joe Perl and his wife Sylvia who were Holocaust survivors, would come in and tell us about their beliefs and feed us scrumptious food that they would normally eat over festivals or holy days such as the Sabbath. A year or so after I left school I came across a giant Jewish cookery book. I’ve used it so much and its dessert recipes are usually good. This is my adaptation of the traditional Jewish Kipferl biscuits which originated and continue to be popular in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire states. They make great presents when tied up in some cellophane, and I usually hand them out, somewhat ironically, at Christmas time. I suppose I should really call them my Hanukkah gifts!

Russian Lepeshki Recipe

13/08/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Baking is something of a guilty/secret pleasure. I love baking. I love baking bread. I absolutely adore baking biscuits. I seem to manage to surround myself with people who also love baking, those who are able to produce baking perfection. Why is baking such a guilty pleasure for me? I’m normally one of those people who likes to throw everything in a pot, stir, serve and eat. You can’t really do that with baking. It takes precision. So don’t tell anyone that I actually quite enjoy the technicality of baking! It’s just between you and me!

When I came across a recipe for Lepeshki, a Russian biscuit which uses sour cream instead of butter and just knew I had to give the recipe a go.

Ingredients (for about 24 biscuits)

275g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

90g caster sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it)

1 egg separated

1 egg whisked

120ml sour cream

2 tsp vanilla and almond extract

(You can use less, you can use more, I just really love vanilla and almonds)

1 tbsp milk

50g flaked almonds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit / Gas Mark 6

Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl

Make a well in the centre

Whisk one of the eggs and mix with the sour cream, vanilla and almond extracts and milk

Add to the dry ingredients to form a soft dough

(I feel I should divulge some information regarding flour at this point. The original recipes was for 225g of flour, but this made a dough which was so runny there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to roll it out. I added more by eye and think you probably need 275g of flour instead but as each flour varies, you will have to give it a go and if it becomes too dry you may need to add some extra wet ingredients. I think the recipe I had was just a bit wrong, but still, use your instinct rather than relying on numbers!)

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 8mm/ 1/3in thick

(It may be preferable to cool the dough in the fridge before rolling as it becomes warm very quickly and it may be good to roll out sections at a time and keep the remaining in the fridge until you are ready to cut more)

Cut the biscuits into rounds with a 7.5cm/3in cutter

Transfer the circles to a lightly oiled baking sheet on a baking tray

Separate the other egg

Brush the biscuits with the egg white

Sprinkle with flaked almonds

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until light golden brown

Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Store in an airtight container (unless you are feeling particularly piggy and want to devour the lot!)

Related Images:

Jewish Almond Cake

13/05/200917/10/2016 by Charlotte J

This is a real favourite of mine. It can be served simply with a sprinkling of caster sugar, or with a fruit coulis. It is a very traditional cake and will be found throughout Eastern Europe, particularly in former parts of the Austro-Hungarian empire. I love making this cake because it is really simple. It really is a case of throwing everything in one big bowl and stirring, though not too aggressively. If you want, you can freeze the cake for up to one month, but I think it is best eaten fresh. It will keep in an air-tight container for three to five days.

Ingredients:

125g butter

150g caster sugar

2 drops of almond extract

1 drop of vanilla extract

3 eggs

75g ground almonds

40g plain flour

Instructions:

Grease 7-inch (17.5cm) tin

Cover base with greaseproof paper or silicone

Preheat oven to 180ºC (Gas Mark 4)

Cream together butter and sugar

Add almond and vanilla extract

Add eggs one at a time, each with a third of the ground almonds

Beat until fluffy

Sift flour and fold in

Put in over for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean

To prevent top of cake from burning, it may be necessary to cover with foil halfway through cooking

Cool and sprinkle with caster sugar if desired

Serve small portions as it is very rich!