PÉRIGORD PRUNE FLAN

from Dany Chouet

Dany Chouet was one of the pioneers of French food in Australia, open ing the minds and tastebuds of several generations at her restaurants in New South Wales before she headed home to the beautiful Périgord where she was born, settling in a centuries-old farmhouse. This tart uses the famous plump prunes from nearby Agen with their shiny black skins and soft amber-coloured flesh. Dany removes the stones the day before and soaks the prunes in fragrant armagnac. They are baked in a pastry shell in custard scented with orange-blossom water and vanilla.

Serves 10–12

Filling

500 g large prunes, stones removed

hot mild tea for soaking the prunes (if needed)

1 tablespoon armagnac (or brandy)

3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour, sifted

300 ml cream

1–2 tablespoons orange-blossom water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Sweet shortcrust pastry

250 g (1⅔ cups) plain flour

60 g almond meal

40 g caster sugar

pinch of salt

175 g unsalted butter at room temperature

1 egg

drop of vanilla extract

If the prunes are dry, soak them in tea for about 1 hour, or until soft. Drain well, then toss with the armagnac and leave to marinate overnight.

To make the pastry, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your fingers. Add the butter, rubbing it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly and well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix with your hands.

Tip the mixture onto a floured work surface and press into a ball without kneading. Flatten into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Butter a 27 cm tart tin. Roll out the pastry to around 3 mm thick and larger than the tin. Roll the pastry around your rolling pin, then lift it onto the tin and unroll the pastry. Press the pastry into the base and sides of the tin, and fold down the edges to create a double thickness of pastry around the sides. Cover the pastry shell with foil and pour pastry weights, rice or beans into the foil to weight down the pastry. Chill in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes, until the pastry is firm.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the pastry shell for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. If any cracks or holes appear, you can patch them with leftover scraps of pastry.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Combine the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and whisk together. Whisk in the cornflour, followed by the cream, orange-blossom water and vanilla.

Scatter the prunes inside the pastry shell. Pour the cream mixture over the top. Bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes, or until the filling is golden and just set.

The flan is best served slightly warm.