Food: Prune and Mascarpone Tart with Port Syrup

Martin Bosley joins Emile to share this recipe. You can replace the prunes with fresh dates if you wish, just make sure both have been pitted before using them. You will need a pie dish with a removable base about 20cm in diameter. Recipe below! Prune and Mascarpone Tart with Port Syrup Serves 12 600g Prunes or dates, pitted 100g Raw sugar 750ml Port 500g Sweet Pastry - store-bought is fine 60g Caster sugar 4 lemons, for the juice 600g Mascarpone 600ml Cream Put the pitted dates or prunes, the juice of 3 lemons, the raw sugar and port into a saucepan and pace over the heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain the dates from the syrup and set aside to cool. Place the syrup back in the saucepan and simmer until thick. Heat the oven to 200C. Rollout the pastry into a circle larger than the pie plate, leaving enough pastry to fold up around the edges. Carefully lift the pastry up and onto the pie plate, patching it up if required. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the edges. Line the pastry case with foil or baking paper, filled with baking beans or rice. Leave to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Bake the pastry case for 20 minutes, lift out the parcel of beans and return the pastry shell to the oven for another 10 minutes until pale gold in colour and dry to the touch. Beat the caster sugar, juice of one lemon, the mascarpone and cream until firm. Chop one third of the drained marinated prunes into the mascarpone mixture and combine together. Fill the tarts with the mascarpone and arrange the remaining prunes across the top. Pour the reduced syrup over the top just before serving.