Ny Times Plum Tart Recipes

PLUM ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine butter or oil, confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla bean seeds in a stand mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. Scrape down sides of bowl, add the egg and then the flour, and continue mixing until smooth. Remove dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic and refrigerate, about 1 hour, or until firm.
• Make the almond filling: Grind together the blanched almonds and flour in a food processor until they form a textured almond flour.
• Combine butter or oil, confectioners' sugar and salt in a stand mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. Scrape down sides of bowl, add egg and egg yolk, and continue mixing until mixture comes together and is homogeneous, about 2 minutes. Add almond mixture all at once, and mix until batter just comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and set aside for 10 minutes. Knead dough to loosen it, then pat together into a ball again. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12- to 13-inch round using a floured rolling pin. Quickly transfer dough to an 11-inch pie plate or tart shell, trimming the edges as needed. Place the lined shell in the freezer until frozen.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove shell from the freezer, line with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to color. Remove the weights and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• While the crust cools, cut plums into 1/4-inch wedges.
• Using an offset spatula, spread cooled tart shell with the almond cream. Starting at the outside of the pan, arrange plums in a circle on top so all the pieces overlap. Turn plums the opposite way for the second circle. Fill the center with the remaining plums or another fruit if you wish.
• Sprinkle a few pinches of turbinado sugar over plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until almond cream is puffed and golden brown and the plums are softened.

ORIGINAL PLUM TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.
• Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.
• Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

PLUM TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.
• Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.
• Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PLUM AND FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper set in a rimmed baking sheet. Trim the sides if necessary to make a neat rectangle. Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1-inch border around the puff pastry, taking care not to cut through the sheet. Using a fork, dock the sheet all over but within the border.
• Bake the puff pastry just until lightly golden, about 24 minutes. (Keep in mind that you will be baking it again, so it doesn't have to be completely baked through yet.) Remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• While the pastry bakes, prepare the frangipane: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add the nut flour, brown sugar, butter and salt, and beat by hand using a wooden spoon or whisk, or with an electric mixer, until well-combined. (If there are small bits of butter in the frangipane, that's OK.)
• In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cardamom.
• When the puff pastry is out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to gently press down the pastry within the border. Immediately spread the frangipane over the pastry within the border. Arrange the fruit over the top of the frangipane. Sprinkle the cardamom sugar over the fruit.
• Bake until the frangipane is golden brown in spots and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes, tenting the edges of the pastry with foil if they are browning too quickly.
• Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.