Plum crostata

Put plum and caster sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until plum becomes soft and breaks down. Combine cornflour and water in a small bowl. Add to plum mixture and stir until combined and thickened. Transfer to a bowl. Cool, then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold and thick.

Meanwhile, grease a 30 x 11 x 2.5cm-deep rectangular fluted loose-bottomed flan tin with melted butter. Put extra butter, extra caster sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and beat, using an electric hand mixer, until light and creamy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until well combined. Sift flour over butter mixture and stir until a dough forms. Press ⅔ of the dough over base and sides of prepared tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Form remaining dough into a 3cm-thick disc. Enclose in
plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Put an oven tray in oven. Spoon cold plum mixture into pastry shell. Roll remaining portion of pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 4mm thick. Cut long 2cm-wide strips from pastry. Put pastry strips over plum mixture, forming a lattice pattern. Trim excess pastry. Whisk eggwhite in a bowl and brush over pastry lattice. Put tin on heated oven tray and bake for 30-35 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp. (If pastry begins to brown too much, cover loosely with foil.) Stand in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar. Serve.