Prune & Armagnac Breton

When I roll out the pastry for this hundred-year-old recipe, I imagine hands a century ago going through the same motions, and I feel something magical that defies time and place. Thank goodness for the true caretakers of tradition, passionate artisans such as my French pastry chef friend Eric Pernoud, who are not secretive with their knowledge. What a privilege it is to inherit such a precious thing and allow it to be the time traveller it should be. Now it is yours … Bisous to you for sharing, Eric!

FEEDS 12

PRUNE PURÉE

500 g (1 lb 2 oz/2 ½ cups) pitted prunes

Enough freshly squeezed orange juice to just cover the prunes

30 ml (1 fl oz) Armagnac OR best-quality brandy you can afford

BRETON PASTRY

250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter, softened

220 g (7¾ oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon rum

5 egg yolks

450 g (1 lb/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour + extra, for dusting

EGG WASH

1 egg, whisked

METHOD

To make the prune purée, combine the prunes and orange juice in a medium non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the prunes are soft enough to be whisked into a rough purée. Remove from the heat, add the Armagnac and whisk to combine. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to a piping bag.

To make the Breton pastry, beat the butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the rum and then the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon.

Divide the pastry in half, and shape into two discs. Lightly flour the discs and roll out each one directly onto baking paper into an 8 mm (³/₈ inch) thick circle. Next, use anything circular with a 25 cm (10 inch) diameter to trace and cut around, so you end up with two same-sized discs. Cover each disc with plastic wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) fan-forced.

Unwrap the pastry. Slide one disc of pastry (already on the baking paper), onto a baking tray. Snip about 1.5 cm (⁵/₈ inch) off the tip of the piping bag and, starting 2 cm (¾ inch) in from the edge, pipe the prune purée in concentric circles, working from the outside in. Brush the egg wash around the bare border, then lay the second disc of pastry carefully over the top. Now brush the top very generously with the egg wash, taking care that you don’t miss any bits. Use a paring knife to lightly drag a lattice pattern through the egg wash.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is beautifully golden. This Breton keeps well for about a week and is in fact nicer after a few days, when the pastry has softened.