Plum Good Tart Food

PLUM TART

Steps:

• How To Make The Crust:
• In a food processor: Mix flour, sugar and salt together and place in the food processor. Add cold butter cut into small cubes and pulse a few times until you obtain a mixture that resembles sand or bread crumbs. Do not overmix. Add lemon zest, vanilla extract, the egg and water, one tablespoon at a time pulsing a few times until the mixture holds together.
• By hand: Mix flour, sugar and salt together, then cut the cold butter into small cubes and add it to the flour. Use a pastry tool to incorporate the butter into the flour, or use your fingertips. You should have a mixture that resembles sand or bread crumbs. Add lemon zest, vanilla extract, the egg and water, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together.
• Make the dough into a disk, wrap it and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
• How To Make The Plum Layer:
• Slice the plums in half and remove the stone, then cut each half into 4-5 slices. If you can't remove the stone, just carefully cut around it.
• Set aside.
• How To Make The Custard:
• Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Separately beat together the egg with milk and sour cream. Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and mix well. Set aside.
• How To Assemble The Plum Tart:
• Butter the bottom of a 9 inch pie or tart pan.
• Lightly dust your work surface with flour.
• Roll out dough on floured board to a 12 inch size. This will fit in a 9 inch pan. Trim away excess.
• Sprinkle walnuts on the dough.
• Arrange the slices of plums in circle.
• Pour over the plums the custard mixture. Add the little cubes of butter on top of the tart.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is golden, the fruit tender and the custard set.

PLUM TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. If using smaller, halved plums, use a paring knife to cut a 3/4-inch slit through the top of each half, from the tip of the plum to just above where the pit should be. (This will allow the liquid from the plums to evaporate during baking instead of settling into the pit cavity.)
• Place pastry shell on a sheet pan or baking sheet. Spread crumbs or crumble topping over bottom of pastry shell in an even layer. Arrange plums in tight concentric circles in pastry shell, skin-side down, beginning with rim of the pan and standing plums up slightly.
• Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 2 tablespoons over plums. Place in oven and bake 45 minutes, or until tips of plums have colored; plums should retain their shape. Remove from heat, on baking sheet, and allow to cool on a rack.
• Once plums have cooled, sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the fruit. Alternatively, heat jam in a small saucepan until runny and, instead of sprinkling fruit with sugar, gently brush cooled plums with jam to glaze.

PLUM TARTS

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Combine flour, butter, sugar, salt, and zest in a food processor and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add yolks and process just until incorporated and mixture begins to clump.
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Smear each portion once with heel of your hand in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather together 2 portions of dough and form into a ball; make another ball with other 2 portions.
• Pat out each ball of dough with floured fingertips into a tart pan, in an even 1/4-inch layer on bottom and up sides (about 1/8 inch above rim). Chill 30 minutes, or until firm.
• Make filling while shells chill:
• Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add plums and lemon juice and toss to coat. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, or until juicy.
• Assemble and bake tarts:
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Arrange plum halves, skin sides down, in tart shells, overlapping in a rosette pattern (see photo, opposite). Halve any remaining plums lengthwise and randomly tuck in between plum halves in tarts. Pour all juices from bowl over plums.
• Bake tarts in middle of oven 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375°F. Cover tarts loosely with foil and bake until plums are tender and juices are bubbling and slightly thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Brush warm juices in tart over plums. (Juices will continue to thicken as tarts cool.) Cool tarts completely in pans on a rack.