Tarte aux Mirabelles

Ingredients

• For the pastry shell
• 1 x 24 cm pâte brisée or pâte sucrée shell, pre-made, unbaked, fitted into the tart tin
• For the fruit
• 500 g Mirabelle de Lorraine plums, Mirabelle de Nancy or Mirabelle de Metz variety, tree-ripened, halved and pitted
• 1 pinch fine salt, for drawing moisture from the halved plums
• For the migaine
• 200 ml crème fraîche
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 30–40 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp mirabelle eau-de-vie, added just before pouring
• To finish
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting before the salamander pass

Method

1. 1
   Salt the halved, pitted mirabelles lightly and rest them cut-side down on paper towels for 20 minutes. They are ready when the towels show visible moisture and the flesh feels slightly firmer to the touch.
2. 2
   Blind-bake the pastry shell at 180 °C until just set and pale gold at the edges. The base should feel dry and firm when pressed lightly at the centre — no raw give.
3. 3
   Whisk together the crème fraîche, beaten eggs, and 30–40 g caster sugar to form the migaine. Stir in the mirabelle eau-de-vie just before use. The custard is ready when it coats the whisk in a thin, uniform film and the sugar is fully dissolved — no grittiness on the tongue.
4. 4
   Arrange the drained mirabelle halves cut-side up in concentric circles on the blind-baked shell. This step decides the dish: pour the migaine between and over the fruit only to the level of the fruit — not above it. Excess moisture from under-drained plums or over-filled custard will cause the migaine to weep and never set correctly.
5. 5
   Bake at 170 °C for 25–30 minutes. The tart is done when the migaine is golden at the edges and barely trembling at the centre when the tin is nudged — fully set custard is overbaked.
6. 6
   Dust the surface with icing sugar and pass briefly under the salamander. The tart is finished when the surface shows the characteristic freckled, lightly caramelised pattern and the plum edges carry a faint colour at their rims. Remove immediately.