Plum and meringue tart

Name: Plum and meringue tart
Ingredients: 5 eggs; 100 g sugar; 180 g softened butter; 8 g vanilla sugar; grated zest of 1 lemon; 250 g flour; 10 g baking powder; 700 g plums; 250 g sugar; 5 ml lemon juice

Dessert - Plum and meringue tart by Elisabeta A. - Recipia

Plum and meringue tart has a tender base, soft plums and a layer of meringue browned in the oven. The egg-yolk dough bakes first with the fruit, then the meringue forms a golden crust, crisp on the outside. I slice it cold, when the middle of the meringue has set. Preparation: 25 minutes. Cooking: 60 minutes. Resting: 120 minutes. Total time: 205 minutes. Servings: 10. Approximately 430 kcal and 6 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

5 eggs
100 g sugar
180 g softened butter
8 g vanilla sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
250 g flour
10 g baking powder
700 g plums
250 g sugar
5 ml lemon juice

Preparation

1. Separate the 5 eggs. Put the yolks in a bowl and set the whites aside in a clean bowl. Beat the yolks with 100 g sugar until the mixture turns pale and the sugar no longer feels grainy. 2. Beat in the softened butter, vanilla sugar and grated lemon zest. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder; the dough will be thick and spreadable with a spatula. 3. Spread the dough in a 26 cm round cake tin lined with baking paper. Cut the plums into quarters and arrange them over the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 35 minutes, until the base is set and lightly browned around the edges. 4. Meanwhile, beat the 5 egg whites with 250 g sugar until you have a firm, glossy meringue. Fold in the lemon juice. 5. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe it over the tart. Bake for another 25 minutes at 160°C, until golden. 6. Leave the tart to cool completely, about 2 hours, then refrigerate it.

Notes

For a variation, you can use 700 g firm apricots, cut into quarters; the tart contains gluten, dairy and eggs. Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, though the meringue will gradually lose its crispness. I slice it cold and serve it with black tea, once the topping has set. Choose ripe but firm plums that come away easily from the stone and do not squash when cut. If they are very juicy, pat the pieces dry after cutting them so they do not release too much juice onto the dough. Large plums can be cut into six pieces so they sit in a single layer and bake along with the base. I followed the 15-minute baking time Elena suggested, but the dough wasn't baked through, so I leave it in longer, up to 35 minutes. Very soft plums sometimes release syrup at the base, leaving the area underneath them a little wetter.