Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz prunes
• 500ml/17fl oz hot Earl Grey tea (use 4 tea bags)
• 250g/9oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 45g/1¾oz icing sugar
• pinch salt
• 75g/2¾oz chilled unsalted butter
• diced
• plus extra for greasing
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• beaten
• 15g/½oz ground almonds
• 750ml/1¼ pints double cream
• 2 vanilla pods or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 free-range egg yolks
• 125g/4½oz caster sugar

Directions

• For the Earl Grey-soaked prunes
• place the prunes into a bowl and pour over the hot tea. Cover and set aside until the prunes have absorbed the liquid (about an hour).
• For the pastry
• sift the flour
• icing sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips
• until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (Alternatively
• blend to a crumb-like consistency in a food processor.)
• Add the beaten egg yolks (reserving a little for glazing) and ground almonds and stir or mix with your hands until the mixture just comes together as a dough. Try not to overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Grease a 28cm/11in loose-bottomed tart tin with butter and dust with flour.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of approximately 2mm
• taking care not to tear it. Carefully roll the pastry around the rolling pin and line the prepared tart tin with it
• pressing the pastry lightly into the base and sides (leave any excess overhanging).
• Line the pastry case with baking paper then fill with uncooked rice or baking beans. Bake the tart case in the oven for 10 minutes
• then remove the baking paper and baking beans and brush the base with beaten egg yolk. Return the tart case to the oven to bake for a further 5-10 minutes
• or until crisp and golden-brown. Set aside to cool
• then trim away any overhanging pastry.
• For the vanilla filling
• heat the cream and vanilla pods or extract in a saucepan over a medium heat until just coming up to the boil. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
• Gradually pour the hot cream over the egg mixture
• whisking well to combine
• then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low heat until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Pour the vanilla filling into the pastry case and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until the filling has set.
• To serve
• slice the tart and top each portion with the Earl Grey-soaked prunes.