Warm California Prune Orange & Chocolate Tart

Prune It is a healthy eating campaign designed to educate consumers to understand the role that California Prunes can play in helping to help reduce the fat and sugar content across a wide range of recipes.  When blended into a puree, prunes offer a useful fat replacer in cooking by adding fat-like (but fat-free) characteristics that also work to enhance the flavours in both sweet and savoury dishes.

In addition, the naturally occurring sugars present in California Prunes can also be used to provide a natural replacement for some of the processed sugars that traditionally feature in sweet recipes.  And because of their high fibre content and ability to add bulk to dishes, California Prunes also have a role to play in reducing portion size without compromising on filling power or taste.

Makes: 8Prep Time: 45 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time, overnight steeping and 1 hour standing timeCook Time: 55 minutes
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INGREDIENTS

  •  
  • For the sweet pastry:
  • 75g plain flour
  • 75g wholemeal flour
  • 75g unsalted butter, soft cubes
  • 40g caster sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1-2 tbsp cold water or orange juice
  • For the filling:
  • 15 California Prunes
  • 200ml orange juice
  • 100ml Masala
  • 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 25g sugar
  •  

DIRECTIONS

To make the pastry:

  1. First put the sugar, egg and cold water into a bowl and whisk.
  2. Put the flour onto a work surface and make a hole with the underneath of the bowl. In the hole add the soft cubed butter and gradually crumble into the flour, now mix in the egg mixture, with a fork. Using your fingers gradually bring in the flour to make the pastry dough with the palm of your hand.
  3. Do not over knead, just knead until the pastry is smooth. Make a cylinder shape then wrap up in cling wrap and put in to the fridge for an hour before rolling.
  4. To blind bake: First take a 20cm ring or loose bottom flan tin and butter the inside. Take your pastry cylinder from the fridge, put on to a lightly floured surface. Roll out thinly into a large round. If you are using a flan tin the edges can be sharp so it is best to fold the pastry in half then into a quarter, find the middle then unfold, and make sure you get into the edges on the base. Once you have lined the tin leave a cm overlapping. Prick all over with a fork.
  5. Now put a large piece of greaseproof paper and screw it up so it is easier to get into the corners. Fill with baking beans or rice. Put into a preheated hot oven at 200 oC for 20 minutes. Remove the paper, put back into the oven for approximately 5 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

For the filling:

  1. Firstly cook the California Prunes in the orange juice and Masala for 10 minutes and allow to steep for a couple of hours or overnight.
  2. Now melt the chocolate carefully in a heatproof bowl that fits on top of a pan of simmering water without touching the water.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar just to combine. Now fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Drain the California Prunes well and place into the tart so you have a pattern and then carefully pour the chocolate mixture into the pastry case.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 oC for about 20 – 30 minutes. Check the tart,  as it may need a little longer. It needs to be smooth and creamy with a slight wobble, just setting.
  5. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for an hour at room temperature.
  6. Serve with fresh sliced oranges or raspberries.