We’re now officially in autumn and I thought it would be appropriate to post a plum recipe.

To me the plum is a fruit with a foot in both seasons. Berries, definitely summer. Pears, clearly fall. Plums can swing both ways. Apples too, but I find summer apples are better for eating than baking, so today I celebrated fall with a plum tart.

I have long narrow tart pans that I bought at Williams- Sonoma years ago, and I find they’re perfect for making a lattice tart with a one-crust pie recipe, and it’s a perfect size for four to six people, or for two hungry people who really like plum tarts.

The pastry crust is adapted from Dorie Greenspan, where I used her proportions of flour, butter and shortening, but I added vinegar because I like the flavor and texture, and made it with an old-fashioned pastry blender rather than a food processor, mostly because there was no room on the top shelf of the dishwasher. The vinegar deepens the flavor of the fruit.

Plum tart, with a whisper of vinegar

Serves four to six

Pie crust

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks

3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch chunks

1 teaspoon vinegar plus enough ice water to make ¼ cup

Filling

10 plums (about one pound), pitted and quartered

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Beaten egg for glaze

To make the pastry, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, work in butter and shortening until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Pour vinegar into a liquid measuring cup, then top off with ice water to make ¼ cup. Pour into mixing bowl and stir until dough comes together. If dough is too dry, stir in another tablespoon of ice water, but don’t worry if dough is a little crumbly. Turn onto sheet of wax paper and knead two or three times until dough is smooth. Wrap in the wax paper and chill for at least an hour.

To make tart, remove dough from refrigerator and let rest while the oven preheats, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about ¼-inch and fit into a 4½- x 13 ¾-inch with a removable bottom. If using a long tart pan, roll the scraps and cut into ½-inch strips to make the lattice top.

In a large bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt. Add plums and turn to coat, then drizzle with vinegar. Arrange plums in the pie shell, flesh side up. If making a lattice top, arrange strips of pastry. Brush pastry with beaten egg.

Bake in the center of the oven until pastry is golden and plums are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for about 20 minutes, then remove from pan and gently slide onto serving platter. Let cool for another 20 minutes before cutting.

Recipe and photo compliments of Janine MacLachlan, RusticKitchen.com.  All rights reserved.

Tags: plum tart

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