Scattered walnuts beneath the plums adds a lovely crunch to this tart. 

Words and recipe: Extracted from Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes

A chef friend suggested adding walnuts to my plum tart. A layer of them scattered under the plums soaks up some of the juices and adds a lovely crunch.

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup very finely chopped walnuts
8–12 mixed plums, halved or quartered, seeds removed
1 cup blueberries
icing sugar, to dust
runny custard, cream and/or ice-cream, to serve

Pastry:

180 g unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup cups plain flour
pinch of salt
50 ml water mixed with a small squeeze of lemon juice

METHOD

To make the pastry, take the butter out of the fridge and let it soften a little, then cut into 2 cm cubes.

Place the butter into a mixing bowl and add the flour and a pinch of salt. Use your fingertips to rub in, until evenly combined.

Add the water mixture a little at a time and mix with your fingers, bringing the floury flakes together into a ball. You may not need all the water, or you may need a drop more. Press the ball into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and leave to soften for
about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit a 23 cm (base measurement) loose-bottom flan tin. Press into the tin and trim off any excess. Sprinkle the base evenly with the walnuts.

Arrange the plums over the pastry base, cut side up. Scatter the blueberries over and dust with icing sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature, with runny custard, cream and/or ice-cream.

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Recipe extracted from Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes (HarperCollins, RRP $55)