Emergency Plum Tart

Oh yes I'll bring dessert along, no problem...

Then I promptly forgot until about 5pm on the actual day. 

Thankfully, courtesy of my Mum, I have a freezer full of plums. There was some puff pastry in the fridge (bought as I haven't yet mastered the art or inclination to make puff pastry) So dessert would be plum & pastry based...

I rolled the pastry out.

I crimped the edges so that they stood up. I pricked the base.

I rummaged in the food cupboard & found a tin of ratafia biscuits that were mainly broken, I helped destroy them further with the end of the rolling pin. I added some nutmeg & cinnamon.

I sprinkled the crushed, spiced biscuits over the pastry base.

Anxiously looking at the time, I grabbed some frozen plum halves from the freezer (I put the bag inside another & bashed it on the patio a few times to loosen the halves)

Finally a sprinkle of yet more nutmeg, cinnamon & bit of brown sugar. (If there had been sliced almonds in the cupboard, I'd have sprinkled those too)

In the oven for about 15-20 minutes. The smell wafting through the house was wonderful. The plum juice had been absorbed by the crushed biscuits. The plum skins were slightly blistered & wrinkled. The pastry edges were golden brown. The only remaining challenge was to transport it to dinner without sneaking a taste first...

Not particularly thrifty (apart from the free plums, thanks Mum) but very, very tasty!