Shortbread Plum Tart With Honey And Cinnamon Food

SHORTBREAD PLUM TART WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON

Steps:

• In a food processor, process 1 cup sugar until powdery and fine, about 1 minute. Add flour, cinnamon and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add egg and 4 egg yolks, and pulse until mixture comes together. Divide dough in half, form into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours or until firm.
• In a small saucepan, combine plums, 1 to 3 tablespoons sugar (this depends on how sweet your plums are), cinnamon, honey and rosemary sprig, if using. Simmer until jammy and thick, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer plum mixture to a bowl to cool, and remove cinnamon stick and rosemary sprig. Taste and stir in more sugar if mixture seems very tart.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch springform pan and place it on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any butter leaks.
• Between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap, roll one of the dough halves into an 8-inch circle. Transfer dough to prepared cake pan, pressing into edges. Spoon plum compote on top of dough, leaving 3/4-inch border around edge.
• Roll second piece of dough into an 8-inch circle, transfer to pan, press around outside edge to stick the pieces together and seal in fruit.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water and beat lightly. Brush over top of cake, then use a fork to score a crisscross pattern into the dough. Bake until golden brown, 1 hour (cover with foil if cake is browning too quickly). Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then run a butter knife around the inside edge of the pan and unmold from ring. Cool completely and serve.

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 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.