Plum Tart

I don’t know why, but I’m always a bit scared of making pastry. Even though I’ve made it successfully many times, and it’s not difficult, I always tend to avoid pastry recipes, worrying that it’s going to stick, or burn, or turn out tough and nasty. So, when I decide to get stuck into a pastry recipe, you can be sure it’s going to be a good one to justify all that stress! Step forward Plum Tart, a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s sophisticated enough for a dinner party.

Plums, Apricots, Peaches… What’s the Difference?

Apricots, plums and peaches are all part of the same family of stone fruits, along with nectarines and cherries. Almonds also belong to this family, which perhaps explains why they go so well with the sweet stone fruits. 

Each of the fruits has its own distinct flavor and they are not interchangeable. However, for this recipe, you can replace the plums with any other stone fruit. The end taste will be different, but still very good.

How to Make Pastry

There are three main tricks for making your pastry perfect.

1. Use cold butter. You always want your pastry dough to be cool. If you feel like it’s warming up too much, put it straight in the fridge to chill down.
2. Handle it as little as possible. This is partly to ensure your hands don’t warm the butter up too much, but also for the texture. By stretching and working the dough, you develop the gluten in the flour. While for some recipes, like bread, this is desirable, for pastry, you want a crumbly, flaky consistency once baked.
3. Leave to rest before rolling out. This allows the gluten to relax and makes the dough less springy. Not only is it easier to roll, but it will also bake to a better texture.  

Blind Baking

This recipe calls for a technique known as blind baking. This means baking an empty pastry case, to partially cook it before adding the filling. Sometimes you’ll be instructed to weigh the pastry down with baking beans, but sometimes, as in this recipe, that’s not necessary.

Frangipane Filling

Frangipane is a mixture of almonds, butter, sugar, and eggs. It’s widely used in Italian patisserie to fill pastries and tarts for a range of different sweet delicacies. Super-simple to make, it’s a cinch to whip it up yourself at home. An electric whisk makes things easier, but you can even do it by hand if you prefer.

Once your pastry case is blind-baked, simply fill it with the frangipane, top with the fresh plums and bake again until golden brown.

How to Simplify Plum Tart

The easiest way to simplify is just to skip the whole scary pastry-making process and buy pastry from the store. If you get it ready-rolled, all you need to do is line the tart pan and get going right away.

Storage Notes and Serving

Store in the fridge once cooled, and it will stay good for at least a few days. Plum tart is good enough as it is that you don’t need to serve anything alongside it. But vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche both go well, if you want to jazz it up even more.

And more…

Looking for more pastry and tart recipes? Try out one of these!

• Caramel Apple Pie Cookies
• Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Tart
• Strawberry Custard Tartlets
• Apple Enchiladas
• Raspberry Cobbler

Conclusion

Even if you’re scared of pastry, like I am, take the bull by the horns and get making pastry for this Plum Tart. I promise it’s worth it! The sweet plums and the almond frangipane are simply a match made in heaven. Or perhaps you’re a pastry whiz, and it holds no fear for you at all? Let me know in the comments what your kitchen terrors are!