La Crostata di Prugne Secche Speziate

• 1 tart crust recipe (page 216)
• 14 ounces plump pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1 1/4 cups mascarpone
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon just-grated nutmeg
• 1-inch stick cinnamon, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon just-cracked pepper
• 1/3 cup very bitter orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. You will need a 10- to 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, buttered, and lined with the tart crust pastry.
3. Cover the pastry-lined tart tin with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer while you make the filling.
4. Place the prunes in a small saucepan with the rum, heating the two over a low flame until the rum nearly boils.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Cover the pot and permit the prunes to steep.
7. Place the mascarpone, the egg, the cream, and the remaining ingredients in a bowl, beating them together with a wooden spoon.
8. Drain the prunes, reserving any remaining drops of the rum.
9. Remove the pastry from the freezer, unwrap it, and position the drained prunes in it.
10. Gently spoon or pour the spiced mascarpone over the prunes and bake the tart for 20 minutes, then adjust the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until the crust is deep gold and the prunes all hidden beneath the bronzed skin of the cream.
11. Brush the hot tart with the few drops of reserved rum and cool it on a rack for 20 minutes.
12. Present it still warm or, better still, at room temperature with tiny glasses of iced moscato.

crust, prunes, dark rum, mascarpone, egg, heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, pepper, very bitter, brown sugar

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/la-crostata-di-prugne-secche-speziate-391115 (may not work)