The sweet midwinter: Fruit & mascarpone tart

There’s no reason why you can’t make this year round: blood oranges for late winter; strawberries at the first sign of warm weather; raspberries later in the season; peaches in high summer, then figs topped with a handful of pistachios come September. 

SERVES 8-10

For the base

80g dark chocolate, chopped

450g chocolate bourbon biscuits

100g salted butter, softened

For the filling and topping

1 egg, separated

80g caster sugar

500g mascarpone, at room temperature

400g redcurrants

4-5 plums, quartered and pitted

• This is the same base as for the Chocolate Chestnut Meringue Pie on page 33. Put the chocolate in a food processor with the biscuits. Blitz until they form a crumb mixture, then add the butter and blitz again until the mix starts to clump together. Press evenly into a deep 28cm fluted pie dish with a removable base and put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to harden. You could put it in the fridge if you prefer, just leave it in there a little longer.
• Whisk the egg white until stiff, adding half the sugar a little at a time. In a second bowl, beat the yolk with the remaining sugar until thick and lemony pale. Beat the mascarpone into the egg yolk mixture until smooth, then gently fold in the egg white.
• Spoon the mascarpone cream into the case and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Store in the fridge for up to 1 day.
• Top with the redcurrants and plums just a few hours before serving, so the plums don’t brown.