Caramelized Plum Tart Food

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 TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, combine the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, combine half of the butter slices with the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Cut in the remaining butter slices until the dough forms chunks the size of large peas. Stir in the water with a fork. The dough should hold together when pressed. If it doesn't, add a few more drops of ice water. Shape the dough into a ball and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rough circle about 15 inches in diameter. Do not try to make a perfect circle -- its roughness is part of its charm. Place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• To make the filling, combine the flour with 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Spread the flour-sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch rim uncovered. Lay the plums over the flour-sugar mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the plums with 4 to 6 tablespoons of the sugar, depending on the sweetness of the plums.
• Fold the 2-inch edge over the plums, gathering it to fit. Brush the edge of the pastry liberally with water and sprinkle generously with 3 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake until plums are tender and pastry is well browned, with spots where the sugar has caramelized, about 45 minutes. Immediately slide the tart from the pan to a rack. Brush the top of the fruit with some of the juices to glaze it slightly. Allow the tart to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

RUSTIC PLUM TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt several times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not overmix.
• Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead once or twice. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Flour a large (about 16 inches long) piece of parchment paper. Place dough on paper. Using your knuckles, press edges of dough so it doesn't crack during rolling. Lightly flour top of dough to prevent sticking; roll out to a 14-inch round. Transfer dough (still on parchment) to prepared baking sheet.
• Make the filling and bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour. Mound plum mixture in center of prepared crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold border over fruit in a pleated pattern. Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake tart until crust is brown and filling is bubbling (see note), about 45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

PLUM TART WITH ALMOND PASTRY CRUST

Steps:

• For the filling: Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil. While water is boiling, take a paring knife and cut a 1/2-inch X on the bottom of each plum. Set aside. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside. When water is boiling, gently drop plums into water for 30 to 45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately submerge in ice water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and dry plums gently with a paper towel. Over a medium-sized bowl, remove skins from plums - they should slip off fairly easily. Slice plums in half and remove pits. Toss with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice and set aside.
• For the crust: Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
• Grind the almonds in a food processor until they are a fine crumb. Add the pastry flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to the almond in the processor and pulse 5 times to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse for about 20 seconds, until mixture forms small clumps. Add the egg white and pulse an additional 20 to 30 times, until mixture forms a ball, being sure not to over-process. Dough will hold together, but be slightly sticky. Evenly press dough into the bottom and sides a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable bottom. Bake for 8 to10 minutes, or until surface of tart is no longer shiny. Remove from oven and let cool. Place tart shell on a cookie sheet. Toss plum halves in their own juices in bowl. Arrange plums, cut-side down, in the tart shell, crowding as many plums as you can into tart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fruit is slightly tender but still firm. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• For the glaze: Heat preserves over a low flame or in microwave until melted. Combine with water and brush surface of tart.

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.

CARAMELIZED LEMON-LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out the pate sucre to a circle about 1/4 inch thick and large enough to slightly overlap a 9-inch metal tart pan. Fit the dough into the pan and trim the edges. Line the bottom and sides of the shell with parchment, or coffee filter papers, or aluminum foil. Fill the lining with dried beans, rice or aluminum beans, and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and remove the beans and the lining. Return the shell to the oven and bake until golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
• In a large metal bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, lemon and lime juice, and zests. Set over simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture is very thick, about 10 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and whisk in the butter, a few pieces at a time. (You don't want the mixture to cool down before all the butter is incorporated.) Strain the filling into a bowl. Scrape into the baked tart shell and smooth with a metal spatula. Cool and then refrigerate until firm, 3 to 4 hours, up to overnight.
• Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top of the filling. With a propane blowtorch, caramelize the sugar. (This can also be done under the broiler. Place the tart on the broiler tray directly under the flame, watching carefully to prevent burning). Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes. Or, if desired, eliminate the 2 tablespoons of sugar and arrange circles of raspberries on top of the tart. Sift a little powdered sugar over the berries just before serving.
• Cut into slices and serve. If you have caramelized the sugar, serve the tart with fresh strawberries or raspberries.
• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and process until the texture resembles fine meal.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1 tablespoon of the cream. Scrape into the machine and process until a ball begins to form, using the additional tablespoon of cream, if necessary. Remove the dough from the machine, and on a lightly floured surface, press down into a circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER TARTS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and vanilla. Cut in the butter and mix until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add the eggs and water and mix until combined. Divide the dough into 18 pieces and roll each into a circle. Press the dough into tart pans.
• Filling: Melt the butter, brown sugar and milk in saucepan and stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the egg and raisins.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the tart crusts for 12 minutes. Divide the filling among the tarts and bake until bubbly, about 5 minutes.