Tarte aux mirabelles

'' (, or 4,000 portions), Nancy, France, 2006 The mirabelle plum has been cultivated since at least the 17th century. A tart made with mirabelles is traditional in Lorraine and its neighbour Alsace and is found in other parts of France. ==Pastry==

The type of pastry used for tarte aux mirabelles varies. The most frequently mentioned in recipes is pâte brisée, but other sweet pastries – pâte sablée and pâte sucrée – are specified by some cooks, and unsweetened shortcrust and puff are also used in some recipes. In Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, Elizabeth David encountered a tarte aux mirabelles made with yeast pastry: "Those little round golden plums of early autumn on their light brioche-like base made an unexpected and memorable end to our outdoor feast". ==Composition==

The traditional tarte aux mirabelles consisted solely of fruit, pastry and a little sugar sprinkled on top before cooking. Some more recent recipes, including that of Albert and Michel Roux, have introduced a layer of crème pâtissière spread on the pastry base before the layer of fruit is added. == References ==