7 Quick and Easy Tarts

Plum Pie
Serves 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

Return to childhood with this quick and easy nursery classic. Use ripe but firm, red or purple plums and serve with lightly whisked double cream for extra soothing power.

600g/1lb 4oz fresh plums (about 8)
3 tbsp demerara sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
375g/13oz ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
1 egg, beaten, for glazing
1 tsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Cut the plums around the 'equator', twist apart and remove the stones with a small, sharp knife. Place in a medium-size baking dish, cut-side down - they should be quite crowded - and sprinkle with the demerara sugar and cinnamon.

Unroll the pastry and cut out a shape slightly larger than your dish. Brush the edges of the dish with a little beaten egg and lay the pastry on top. Trim to the size of the dish and press the edge of the pastry down to form a seal. Press lightly with the tines of a fork to mark the edge. Roll out the trimmings and cut out shapes to decorate the top if you like, using the beaten egg as 'glue'. Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the caster sugar. Make a few slits in the top with a sharp knife.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit soft and juicy.