flavour of the week: Plum Tart

It’s the time of year for the trees to be overflowing with ripe, juicy plums. This tart was a great way to use up the plums I scored from my neighbour’s tree. What really made this dessert was the lemon zest in the pastry, but I think flecks of thyme with the lemon or candied ginger might be a nice substitution. If you weren’t long on time, you could skip the pastry and use store bought puff pastry instead.

Plum Tart
Serves: 6-8
Active Time: 1hr
Start to Finish: 4hrs (if you can wait long enough for cooling time, I couldn’t)

FOR PASTRY DOUGH:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in to .5″ pieces (I used salted, no worries)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 egg yolks

FOR FILLING:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1 3/4 lbs. small plums (I used prune – they also pit easily), halved and pitted
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Special equipment: 9″ fluted tart pan with removable bottom. You could use a pie dish or similar.

HAVE A GO AT THE DOUGH: Combine flour, butter, sugar, salt and zest in food processor (“Hey now, I don’t have one of those”. That’s ok my favorite method of using 2 steak knives and my fingers also works.) Pulse (or mash with chosen implement) until mixture resembles a course meal with some small lumps of butter. Add yolks and process until just incorporated and dough begins to clump.

Divide into 4 portions, and form 4 balls. Squish into discs and lay in bottom of pan. Pat out with fingertips (flour hands if necessary) until there is an even layer along the bottom and push up sides to go just above the rim. Put in fridge for about 30mins while you deal with the plums. Might as well preheat oven to 425 at this point.

MAKE THE FILLING: Stir together sugar and cornstarch in large bowl. Add plums and lemon juice and toss to coat. Let fruit get all juicy at room temp for about 30mins, stirring now and then.

ASSEMBLE THE TART: Use your design skills to create an overlapping symmetrical pattern, placing plums skin side down. Pour juices over plums. Bake tart for 25mins, reduce heat to 375, cover loosely with foil and bake about 40mins more. Juices will thicken as the tart cools, so try to keep your hands off for at least an hour. Serve with sweetened sour cream or vanilla ice cream.

If you wanted to get a head start, a day ahead you could make the pastry, or cut up the plums and let them sit in their juices.
Adapted from my cooking bible, The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl