A couple of weeks ago the homestyle gals were lucky enough to attend a high tea to celebrate the launch of Love Bake Nourish by Amber Rose. Amber is a expat Kiwi living in London, who has had a rich life full of experiences that have led her to write her first cookbook. Growing up in New Zealand, her mother was a pioneering organic and sustainable gardener, and Amber has continued with this natural food philosophy for her book Love Bake Nourish where she cuts out white sugar/flour and uses wholefoods to create health conscious (yet utterly delicious) cakes and desserts. I love the idea of being able to 'have your cake and eat it too' without the guilt of cramming refined sugary badness into your body, and people like Amber inspire me to pratice more of this modern food philosophy with my own cooking. Below we share a recipe for a plum tart. Amber reccomends this as a summery dessert, but it will work equally well with autumn fruits. If you try it we would love to see the results!
Plum tart yogurt & with orange blossom yoghurt & orange syrup
serves 6
This is a very summery tart, great for a dinner party. You can use any type of plum, but smaller sweeter ones do work rather well. The tart is perfectly delicious on its own but I love the different layers of flavour and texture you get from serving it with the scented yogurt and syrup.
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3 plums, halved and pitted
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180g honey
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90g unsalted butter, softened
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35g white spelt flour, sifted
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2 large free-range eggs
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125g ground almonds
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Finely grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
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½ teaspoon baking powder
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Orange blossom yogurt
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(see page 177), to serve
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for the orange syrup
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200ml orange juice
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100g honey
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1 star anise
Preheat the oven to 170ºC and the grill to its highest setting. Line a small baking tray with foil and lightly butter a rectangular tart tin 35cm × 10cm.
Place the plums on the prepared baking tray, drizzle with 60g of the honey and place under the grill.
Check after a few minutes – they are ready when they are sizzling and the edges are turning a darker colour. Remove from the grill and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter for about 4 minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add
2–3 tablespoons of the flour, beat briefly, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a further minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the rest of the flour, the ground almonds, lemon zest, baking powder and remaining honey. Fold in gently and lightly until everything is thoroughly combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tart tin, press in the blistered plums at equal intervals and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the tart comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little while you make the syrup.
For the syrup, place all the ingredients in a small pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture has reduced a little and become syrupy.
Serve the tart warm with the orange blossom yogurt and orange syrup.
Love Bake Nourish, by Amber Rose, with photography by Ali Allen, Published by Kyle Books and distributed in New Zealand by New Holland, RRP $45.00
