Mollys 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.

OPEN-FACED PLUM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove pie crust from refrigerator 10 minutes before using to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Unfold pie crust onto baking sheet. Spread fig jam on crust leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Place plums on top of the jam. Fold edges over leaving the center exposed and press slightly to seal. Brush outside of the pie dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake until dough is cooked through and golden, about 45 minutes.
• Serve warm with ice cream.

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.)

DAKOTA STYLE PLUM CAKES (KUCHENS)

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm the milk until just warm to the touch (90 to 100 degrees F). Stir in the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine the flour, remaining granulated sugar and the kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine. Separate 1 of the eggs and set aside the white for the egg wash. Whisk the egg yolk and remaining whole egg into the yeast mixture. Add the yeast mixture to the flour, then mix on low speed to make a smooth, thick dough. Increase the speed to medium and add the butter a piece at a time. Once all of the butter has been added, beat on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough until it forms a smooth, springy ball on the hook, 4 to 5 minutes (add a little more flour, if needed, if the dough doesn't form a ball). Grease a large bowl and turn the dough in the bowl to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• For the custard: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cream, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, egg and yolk. Whisk it together and heat over medium heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and extract; stir until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap. Let cool at room temp.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into balls by folding the dough under itself and pinching to seal underneath. Set the ball, smooth-side up, on a floured surface, and turn in your hand to form a tight round shape. Divide the 12 buns among the lined baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the buns have risen, gently press down on each to make indentations that will make space for the custard. Fill the indentations with the custard. Top with the plums. Brush the buns with the reserved egg white mixed with a splash of water and sprinkle with demerera sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and flakey salt. Bake, rotating the trays from top to bottom halfway through, until the buns are risen and golden and the custard is set, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

EASY PLUM TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay the pastry on a floured surface and cut in half. Sprinkle one piece with the almonds and some sugar; lay the other piece on top. Press together with a rolling pin to make a 6-by-14-inch rectangle. Score a 1-inch border with a knife. Pierce the middle with a fork and make small slits with a knife. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with water and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Stir 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons water and the lemon juice in a heavy pan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat just until the sugar melts. Uncover and cook, swirling the pan, until amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the plums, 3 tablespoons butter and the vanilla pod and seeds. Cook over low heat, tossing, until the plums are soft and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and swirl to combine.
• Transfer the crust to a platter. Top with the plums and half of the sauce. Serve with ice cream and the remaining sauce on the side.

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.

ITALIAN PLUM TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a sheet pan. Place the plums, tapioca, creme de cassis, and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 15 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and remaining 1 cup of sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until it forms small, dry crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and continue to beat for about 30 seconds, until the mixture forms large, moist crumbs. Set aside 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture and pour the rest into the springform pan. With floured hands, lightly pat the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan and 1 inch up the sides. Arrange the plums in concentric circles on the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly on top. Bake for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool for 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and serve warm or at room temperature.

MOLLY'S PLUM TART

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the pastry: Combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and cold water; process until the dough just comes together in the side of the bowl. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the almonds, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the flour in the food processor; process until it resembles powder. Reserve.
• 3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick into a large rectangle; transfer to a 12x15-inch baking sheet. Spread the reserved almond mixture over the bottom of the dough, leaving a 1- to 1 1/2-inch border.
• 4. Arrange the plums, cut-side down, over the almond mixture. Fold the dough up over the plums, pressing and pinching it together to make a nice edge. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums, then dot with butter.
• 5. Bake for 1 hour, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden. Meanwhile, whisk together the red currant jelly and Grand Marnier. Brush the mixture over the entire tart just after it comes out of the oven. Cool the tart slightly. Cut into squares and serve warm.

PLUM ALMOND TART WITH PLUM COMPOTE

Steps:

• To make the crust, place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Place in a bowl and toss with the flour. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg, lemon zest and salt. Add the flour mixture and begin mixing on low speed; then raise the speed just until the flour is incorporated.
• Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a ball. Flatten, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 piece into a 5 1/2-inch circle (the dough breaks easily but can be pressed back together). Use a 5-inch round (cup, plate or cardboard) as a guide to cut the dough into a 5-inch circle. With a wide spatula, transfer to 1 of the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the circles 2 inches apart. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crusts until lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• To make the filling, place the whole almonds and 1 teaspoon of sugar in a food processor and pulse until ground. Place in a bowl and stir in the 1/2 cup of sugar, eggs and lemon zest. Set aside.
• Halve and pit the plums. Cut each half into 5 or 6 thin wedges. Spread the filling over the crusts, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange the plums in a circular pattern over the filling. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and a few sliced almonds over each tart. Bake until the plums are lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the compote, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean. Place the pod and seeds in a small saucepan with the plums and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the compote is thick, about 20 minutes. Keep warm.
• To serve, place a warm tart on each of 8 plates and surround with the warm compote.

PLUM TART WITH SPICED CRUST

Steps:

• To make the crust, place the pecans, cinnamon and orange zest in a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and follow the instructions in the first step of the tart-dough recipe as above, omitting the lemon zest. Proceed with the dough's second step.
• Scrape the vanilla bean into the half-and-half, add the sugar, egg yolks and flour, whisk well and refrigerate. Toss the plums with the sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough and fit into 12-inch tart pan. Prick the dough lightly with a fork. Arrange the plums in concentric circles, using as many layers as necessary. Gently pour the half-and-half mixture over the tart; the mixture will not cover the plums completely, but it should be evenly distributed. Bake until the custard is set, 45 to 50 minutes.