In the midst of a frantic search for pudding inspiration, celebrated chef Jeremy Lee stumbled upon a forgotten folder of stained menus. Its pages fell open to reveal scribbled notes for a midwinter feast, instantly conjuring the rich memory of a tart emerging from the oven. This was no ordinary dessert, but a deeply flavoured almond, chocolate, walnut, and prune tart, its mahogany surface bubbling with promise.
The Enduring Love for an Almond Tart
Jeremy Lee's passion for almond tart has remained constant throughout his career. Whether in a professional restaurant kitchen or at home, he finds its presence almost inevitable. He recalls that in earlier days, such tarts were often made with pre-ground almonds and bolstered with almond essence to compensate for a lack of flavour.
That all changed with the arrival of whole Marcona almonds from Spain. Their teardrop shape, milky colour, and delicate, buttery flavour quickly made them his almond of choice. Freshly ground, they impart a superior quality to any bake. Lee notes a practical benefit of this style of tart: there's no need to blind-bake the pastry case. However, it must be baked on a rack set within a tray to catch any rich, buttery drips.
A Recipe Steeped in History and Fine Ingredients
Having worked the pastry section in numerous restaurants, Lee has seen many variations. Some tarts were kept plain, while others were adorned with sliced fruit. A particular favourite was studding the frangipane with prunes. To match the quality of the Marcona almonds, only Agen prunes from south-western France would do. These prunes have a protected status and are renowned for their yielding, mi-cuit texture and profound depth of flavour.
The same French region produces excellent walnuts, which naturally found their way into the mix, along with shards of bitter dark chocolate. When Lee first baked this creation at Alastair Little's famed Soho restaurant, they steeped the prunes in Armagnac. For a more economical version, he suggests Amontillado sherry works beautifully. The tart was a hit, gracing both the restaurant menu and his home table for years before other recipes took centre stage. It took a friend's reminder to reawaken this "sleeping beauty" of a recipe.
Jeremy Lee's Almond, Chocolate and Prune Tart Recipe
This recipe makes one 23cm tart. For the pastry, you will need 150g cold unsalted butter, 250g sifted '00' flour, 75g icing sugar, a pinch of sea salt, one beaten egg, and a tablespoon of cold water. For the filling, prepare 100g chopped walnuts, 12 halved and stoned Agen prunes, and 100g chopped 70% dark chocolate. The frangipane requires 250g softened unsalted butter, 200g caster sugar, 2 beaten eggs, and 250g whole Marcona almonds.
Begin by making the pastry. Rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar, and salt until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the beaten egg and water, kneading deftly into a smooth dough. Shape into a disc, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
For the frangipane, mix the softened butter with the caster sugar, then gradually beat in the eggs. Finely grind the Marcona almonds and mix them in. Refrigerate this mixture as well.
Heat your oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Roll out the pastry and line a 22-23cm tin with a removable base. Do not smooth it out. Spoon the frangipane into the case. Scatter over the chopped walnuts, then lightly press in the prune halves. Finally, strew the chopped chocolate over the top, pressing down gently.
Place the tart tin on a rack set inside an oven tray. Transfer to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 150C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2. Bake for one hour, turning occasionally for even colour. Then, lower the heat to 120C (100C fan)/260F/gas ½ and bake for a further 15 minutes. The tart is best served warm, with a generous jug of Jersey cream on the side.
Jeremy Lee is the chef and co-owner of Quo Vadis in London and the author of Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many.
