Recipe of The Month

Plum & Almond Tart

• 100g (4oz) Short Crust Pastry *
• 75g (3oz) margarine
• 75g (3oz) caster sugar
• 100g (4oz) ground almonds
• 50g (2oz) ground rice
• 1 egg
• Almond essence
• 3 or 4 fresh plums halved or cut into slices

• 7inch square or round tin, greased or lined with baking paper

Heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5

Roll out the pastry & use it to line the tin.

Cream the margarine & sugar together – this is easiest with an electric hand mixer or free standing mixer.

Add the ground almonds, ground rice & egg and mix it all together well.

Add a small amount of almond essence to taste – approx ¼tsp and mix again.

Spread the mixture over the pastry

Decorate with plum halves/slices – as many as you like!

Bake for approx 20-25 minutes until the filling is set. lLeave to cool

*Pastry – if you don’t want to make your own pastry, you can either use ready made short crust pastry or a ready made pie shell. To make your own rub 50g butter/marg into 100g plain flour, add a tbsp of caster sugar and mix together with some beaten egg &/or very cold water until it forms a stiff dough. If you make your own, try adding a tsp of cinnamon or mixed spice to give some extra flavour!