Red Plum Tart with a Roasted Almond Crust

Here we are in the last days of stone fruit season… This time of year is just bountiful and begs to be appreciated. 

 So, when my mom called to say: “The plums are ready to be picked!” my girls and I were there in her sunny garden, filling our little basket with these gems the very next morning. There is nothing more satisfying than harvesting fresh fruit and turning it into a delicious creation within hours. The timing was perfect because our dear friends Karl and Gail had arrived from Seattle and were coming for dinner, and now I knew just what to make for dessert. 

I have been experimenting with a tart recipe lately, inspired by Nigel from his Kitchen Diaries book. The recipe is a gourmand’s version of a no-bake tart, and with all the excitement of raw eggs. Unfortunately (I think) for us here in the USA, we have a strong mistrust of all eggs raw as the FDA has properly put the fear of salmonella into our hearts. So, when my children and guests are eating my culinary experiments, I have to be sure that I do not wind up guilty of putting them in the hospital. Which is why I decided to bake the thing. And then of course, I got to fiddling with the rest of the recipe and now have something entirely different but totally delicious. 

Red Plum Tart with a Roasted Almond Crust

by Stephanie Kunstle

Ingredients:

Crust

• ½ cup ground toasted sliced almonds 
• 1  cup flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• About 2 Tbsp water

Tart

• 8 oz. (226 g) marscapone
• 1 Tbsp. powdered or superfine sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 c sliced red plums
• 1/4 c brown or demerara sugar for sprinkling

1.  Spread sliced almonds on a baking sheet, and toast for about five minutes, tossing every minute or two at 350 F until you just begin to smell their aroma and they are barely starting to turn golden. Remove them from the baking sheet immediately to a bowl to cool. Once they are cool, grind in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor until they are quite fine.
2.  Combine flour, ground almonds, sugar, salt, and cubed butter in food processor or bowl. Using a pastry cutter or food processor, combine until the mixture is coarse with small bits of butter remaining.
3. Gradually add the water a tablespoon at a time until it forms a smooth ball. If, after 2 Tbsp, your dough is not smooth and firm, sprinkle a ½ tablespoon of water at a time until the dough is just right. The almonds give the dough extra fat, so you will need less water than you think. (You can also correct too-wet dough with a touch of flour, if necessary.)
4. Press into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour, or pop it in the freezer for a few minutes.
5.  Roll it out on a floured surface and fit it into your tart pan, being careful to have a generous amount cover all areas of the pan. Keep chilled until ready to fill.
6. Combine egg yolk, sugar, and marscapone and mix with wisk attachment on slow until just beginning to mix. Add vanilla, and then mix on high speed for about 2 minutes until mixture is pale yellow and thick, scraping down sides a couple of times.
7.  Separately, beat egg white until it forms stiff peaks.
8. Fold egg white into marscapone mixture.
9. Fill crust, and lay the plums on top, sprinkling sugar over the entire tart.
10.  Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes, or until golden on top and slightly wobbly in the center.
11.  Let the tart cool to room temp, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.