Flora Manson: a plum tart with a difference

Photograph by Gareth Sambidge

I would eat so many during my harvest that I’d inevitably spoil my dinner, but the plums that made it back home were always made into a crumble. Halved and tossed into a pie dish with spoonfuls of sugar sprinkled on top, and finished with a thick crumble layer of butter, flour, oats and sugar. The eyeballed measurements ensured that no two crumbles were the same – some were so tart your mouth would pucker after each spoonful – but there are few things that lashings of pouring cream or custard cannot save.

My love of plums and crumble has inspired this tart, which I’ve switched around, turning the crumble into a brown butter biscuit base, and finished off with a rich and creamy topping.

Plum crumble tart

Serves 8-10. Prep time 50 minutes, plus 6 hours total chilling time

For the crust:
porridge oats 50g
butter 110g
digestive biscuits (or similar) 150g
roasted almonds 45g
caster sugar 60g 
ground cinnamon 1 tsp 
fine sea salt ¼ tsp 
sunflower seeds 20g

For the filling: 
plums 500g, plus more for optional decoration 
cornflour 25g 
lemon juice 20ml 
caster sugar 50g 
light brown sugar 25g 
fine sea salt ¼ tsp 
vanilla extract 1 tsp 
water 85ml 
orange zest ½ tsp

For the topping:
crème fraîche 200g 
double cream 95ml 
light brown sugar 75g 
vanilla extract 1 tsp

You’ll need a 20cm removable-base tart tin

Add the oats and 15g of the butter to a pan and set it over medium heat. Mix to coat the oats in the melted butter, then continue to cook, stirring the entire time, until the oats smell toasted and have taken on a golden colour. Transfer to a bowl to cool a little. Add the remaining butter to the pan and set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, continue to cook while stirring. It will boil and sputter, then foam and smell nutty and finally turn a rich brown. Remove from the heat.

To a food processor add the biscuits, roasted almonds, caster sugar, cinnamon and salt and blend to a fine crumb. Pour in the melted and browned butter, making sure to scrape all of the browned milk solids from the pan into the blender, as this is where the flavour is. Blend the mixture to evenly distribute the butter. Add the toasted oats and sunflower seeds and mix by hand to combine, then pour the mixture into the 20cm tart tin, pressing down into the sides and base. Transfer to the fridge for an hour.

Rinse, dry and de-pit the plums, then cut into 2-3cm sized pieces. Place the plums into a pan, along with the cornflour, lemon juice, caster sugar, light brown sugar, fine sea salt, vanilla extract, water and orange zest. Mix well to combine, then set over medium heat, stirring often. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until it has thickened and turned a rich crimson colour.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes before pouring into the chilled tart base. Return to the fridge and cool for at least 5 hours, or ideally overnight.

Whisk together the crème fraîche, double cream, light brown sugar and vanilla until stable – we want it to be able to hold its shape and stay put on the tart but still have a velvety softness. Spoon the whipped mixture on to the tart, then use a spatula or the back of a tablespoon to spread it out. If using, cut a plum into slices and decorate the whipped crème fraîche.