Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Mid-Week Something Sweet: Plum Almond Tart

 

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Well, we are half-way through the first week of school.  All in all it has been a decent two days.  Just a few tears, nothing too heartbreaking.  Isabelle had been telling me all last week that she DID NOT want to go school and after day one she said she would be willing to go back.  I think we are off to a great start and I am so excited to watch the kids tackle all great learning the schools are going to throw at them. 

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So, to get you passed the Wednesday bump, (try not to remember you only have 536 lunches to make), here is a beautiful tart.  I am again using on of my favorite cookbooks “Around My French Table”, by Dorie Greenspan.  When I am craving something sweet and delicious and a little bit ambitious, I turn to Dorie.  At the farmers market this week, I purchased a couple quarts of Stanly plums.  Stanly plums are smaller than traditional plums.  They have a blue/purple tint and are really quite pretty.  When ripe, the plums taste like honey.  So delicious!  I can eat four or five of them in a sitting.  As great as the plums are eaten out of hand, they are fantastic baked in any dessert you put them in.  Dorie Greenspan has a delicious orange-almond tart in her cookbook and I decided to adapt it to incorporate the plums. 

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This recipe has a few steps to it.  I encourage you to try this recipe.  It is as delicious as it is beautiful.  The recipe for the crust is included down below.  Also check out the other great recipes from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, “Around My French Table”.  Happy cooking and enjoy the rest of the week!

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http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2011/10/sweet-sundays-french-apple-cake.html

http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2011/05/gnocchi-la-parisienne.html

http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2011/04/gourgeres.html

http://sara826-itstartedwithone.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-little-coconut-between-friands.html

 

 

Plum-Almond Tart

 

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg  yolk

 

1.  Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food proceessor and pulse a couple of times to combine.

2.  Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut into crumbs.

3.  Stir the yolk, just enough to break it and add it little at a time and pulse the machine after each addition. 

4.  When the egg is in, process in long 10 second pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds.  Before the dough gets to this stage, the machine will actually change sounds.  Heads up for that!

5.  Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently knead just to incorporate any of the dry ingredients that did not get mixed in. 

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6.  Now, you can press this dough into the bottom of your buttered tart shell pan or flatten it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.

7.  Press the dough into the tart pan and prick the bottom of it with a fork.  Bake at 350 until the tart is slightly browned.

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Almond Cream

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2/3 cups sugar

3/4 cup almond flour

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

10 Stanly plums or regular plums, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Press the prepared pie dough into the bottom and up the sides of  buttered tart pan.  Be sure that the bottom is removable.

2. Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and satiny.

3.  Add the all-purpose flour and cornstarch and process.

4.  Add the egg.

5.  Process for about 15 more seconds and then add the almond flour.

6.  Process until the cream is homogeneous.

7.  Add the vanilla and mix!

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8.  You can use a bowl and a spoon for this too, just be sure to add the ingredients in the same order as above.

9.  Spread almond cream in the on top of the crust.

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10 Arrange the plums cut side up on top of the almond cream.

11.  Bake in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the cream has risen and turned golden brown.

12.  Transfer the tart to a cooling rack and cool until room temperature. 

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13.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Slice, serve and enjoy!!!!!  Great job!!!

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