Plum Tart Recipe. Apple Tart Variation
For this beautiful plum tart, I have my mother to thank.
She provided the inspiration. Another wonderful thing is, my plum tart wears another hat: its close cousin, Apple tart: one and the same recipe.
When it comes to baking (and cooking) with healthy ingredients, my mother is to this day the undisputed master.
Would you like it Gluten-free?
My gluten free plum tart is virtually identical to my regular (this) recipe, but it keeps a close eye on the sugar as well, and uses erythritol. For those days when you would love dessert but cannot afford the carbs!
You might say I come by my Whole Foods Philosophy quite honestly.
The base for my plum tart/apple tart is not a classic pie crust as we know it, it is more like a cookie dough, making this tart much less perishable than the classic fruit tarts. You will create in no time a dessert that looks as professional as it tastes. Just be sure to get one of those fluted spring form pie plates, which make un-molding easy as, well, pie. This plum tart is a very good example of how elegant rustic can often get. The apple tart variation is no less luscious, and is brushed with a very simple apricot-rum glaze at the end of baking: I am including the instructions at the bottom.
I make this plum tart, and indeed all my desserts, with spelt flour and natural unrefined sugar, marked “evaporated cane juice”, easy to find in health food stores, and increasingly easy to find in good supermarkets
Are you a plum lover like me? Welcome to the Delicious World of Plums!
Don’t be deceived by its unprepossessing look. Long and narrow, it may look less elegant round and plump counterpart, but it packs the most sweet and flavorful punch! And it is much easier to pit than the round plums. They are also called Italian plums, or Empress plums.
In fact you could make a plum sauce, with absolutely no sugar added, just cooking them, pitted and in their skins, in a little pomegranate or blueberry juice, for just a few minutes. Taste it before adding a few drops maple syrup or silan, if necessary. Leave the plum sauce chunky, or blend it if you prefer smooth. Enjoy it alone, or with a slice of cake or over ice cream.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour, or whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup pomegranate or cranberry juice
- 3 tablespoons crème de cassis
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 dozen very ripe damson plums, pitted and halved. If the plums are larger, you will need about 12-14 plums. Don't worry if it get a little messy, pit them over a bowl so as not to lose the precious juices.
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 ºF.
Mix all the dough ingredients by hand or in a food processor, processing very minimally, pulsing just 2-3 times, until just combined. The mixture will look loose. Pour uniformly into a large (14 inch) round spring form pie plate, or 2 9-inch round molds, or 2 rectangle strip spring form molds. (it freezes beautiful, just in case you would like to eat one and freeze one)
Arrange the plums over the batter, skin side up, very close together. Don't leave any gap between the plum halves. If any juices have leaked in the pitting step, pour it evenly over the fruit.
Sprinkle with the sugar, using it all up.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or a little longer, until the dough looks golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variation: Apple Tart.
For the dough: No Creme de cassis. 2/3 cup orange juice instead of the pomegranate or cranberry juice, and 1 tablespoon orange zest. 4 unpeeled granny smith apples instead of the plums. No sugar for topping.
Glaze: in a food processor, process 1/2 cup apricot jam, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons brandy or rum. transfer the mixture to a small bowl, and brush all over the tart while it is still warm.
Hi Beth,
OK< I just want to make sure you do the right thing. The plum tart has NO glaze. Please read the recipe carefully so you don't make a booboo. I would freeze it, but not because I would like to save time: Aren't you spending the time making it whenever you are making it? I would only save the part I have leftover, and only if I am not serving it in the next couple days. There are quite a few things that pay more to make and freeze that plum tart: A cake, a batch of cookies, bread, soup, etc, etc….
When you take it out of the freezer, allow a couple hours to bring back to room temperature. No heating.
Yes, it is every bit as good as my honey cake: I just serve both desserts for shabbos, and I must say about my babies: It's a tie!
Hi Levana:
Can the plum & the apple tart be made in advance, frozen, reheated & then add the glaze? If they can be frozen can you reheat without thawing first & what temp & for how long do you suggest they reheat for? I’m short on time & trying to cook & freeze in advance. If they’re as good as your honey cake recipe I’ll be eternally grateful.
Thanks.
I am not sure if my message just got posted or not…
But thank you for the suggestion of Plum Tart. I have had it one of your demos and it was incredible. If I remember correctly you topped with coconut sorbet. I WILL make it for Shabbos, thank you very much.
It’s a great dessert. I wouldn’t top it with the sorbet, I would simply serve it either alone, or with a scoop of sorbet on the side
Nancy Triest ntriest@aol.com
Nancy isn’t it the best? And so incredibly easy to make!
I also made it this past shabbos, and I was thrilled to see a bunch of kids digging in too! We sold it out in no time flat.
We are hosting a sheva brachot next Monday: I think I want to make this tart, along with some other fantastic goodies, all in my latest book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen: Glorious Meals Pure and Simple. Did you get it when you were at the demo? Here’s the link just in case: http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Foods-Kosher-Kitchen-Glorious/dp/1616082925/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314320779&sr=8-1 The desserts I want to serve are: The Plum Tart, Frozen Coconut Chocolate Crunch Pie, Chocolate Salami, Coconut Cookies, and Moroccan almond phyllo confections. Whatdayathink?
Nancy Triest ntriest@aol.com
Good Morning,
Just had to tell you I made the plum tart for dessert last Shabbos.
It was a big hit, before I even made it I told a friend about it and
she made it too.
It was so delicious, and beautiful I again made it for a brunch we were invited to on Sunday and it was gone in a flash.
I have already sent it to 3 people who have requested it yesterday.
Love your recipes..
Nancy
Maybe I should be embarrassed to ask, but WHAT is Creme de cassis?
Also, do you have any healthy meal-in-a-cookie recipes?
My son LOVES cookies and often won’t eat meals. I have one recipe which was originally for scones and calls for flour, brown sugar, sweet potatos, carrots, margarine, and a bunch of spices, but I need something more.
Liba G-d forbid: Don’t be embarrassed! Creme de cassis is a wonderful black currant liqueur, readily available in liquor stores.
Liba sorry I forgot to address the second part of your message: The answer is, quite simply: Get my new cookbook: The content is fantastic! Many cookies and muffins are closer to a meal than to dessert http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Foods-Kosher-Kitchen-Glorious/dp/1616082925/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314320779&sr=8-1
where do I get Creme de cassis
thanks
dena
In Liquor stores :-))) Leroux brand has a good supervision