Plum Tart

By Martha Rose Shulman

Plum Tart
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(248)
Notes
Read community notes

This tart, adapted from the pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, with whom I wrote a cookbook, is a very simple way to show off the last of the season’s plums. Use the same formula for peaches, apricots and figs when those fruits are in season. The important thing to remember when making fresh fruit tarts with cut stone fruit is that you need to pack the fruit into the pastry tightly. If you don’t, the fruit will collapse in the shell as it bakes, and it will lose a lot of liquid, which could make the pastry shell soggy. Another way to prevent the shell from becoming soggy is to line it with crumbs of one kind or another — they can be cookie crumbs or breadcrumbs, crumble topping or streusel, that will absorb the juice from the fruit.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 9-inch tart (8 servings)
  • 19-inch sweet pastry tart shell, fully baked (see recipe)
  • 2pounds/900 grams plums, pitted and cut in half if small Italian plums, cut into quarters if larger
  • 1cup/120 grams crumbled vanilla cookies, bread crumbs or crumble topping
  • 3tablespoons/45 grams sugar
  • ½teaspoon/1 gram cinnamon
  • ¼ to ½cup apricot jam (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

193 calories; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 69 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. If using smaller, halved plums, use a paring knife to cut a ¾-inch slit through the top of each half, from the tip of the plum to just above where the pit should be. (This will allow the liquid from the plums to evaporate during baking instead of settling into the pit cavity.)

  2. Step 2

    Place pastry shell on a sheet pan or baking sheet. Spread crumbs or crumble topping over bottom of pastry shell in an even layer. Arrange plums in tight concentric circles in pastry shell, skin-side down, beginning with rim of the pan and standing plums up slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 2 tablespoons over plums. Place in oven and bake 45 minutes, or until tips of plums have colored; plums should retain their shape. Remove from heat, on baking sheet, and allow to cool on a rack.

  4. Step 4

    Once plums have cooled, sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the fruit. Alternatively, heat jam in a small saucepan until runny and, instead of sprinkling fruit with sugar, gently brush cooled plums with jam to glaze.

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4 out of 5
248 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Bill

Could you describe the paring knife cut ... in another way?? For ex, are you cutting into the flesh? Or into the skin? I presume you are cutting into the skin and nearly to the flesh ?? I just cannot visualize it with the present text. Thanks

marcia dunsker

instead of crumbs, try almond meal.

Curt

That plum description! If they are Italian plums cut this way. If they are larger than Italian plums cut this other way. If they are smaller than the larger plums but bigger than the Italian plums, then do this third thing. It’s all predicated on the assumption that the reader knows how big an Italian plum is. I don’t even know *what* an Italian plum is. Why not just start with inches?

Erika

I used almond meal, as suggested in another comment, but found that one cup (as the recipe suggests) was too much. I'd reduce it to half a cup next time, to avoid dryness. I also used smaller, sour plums, which created a nice combo of sweet and sour.

JW

As a previous comment noted, this recipe calls for way too many breadcrumbs. If you have super juicy ingredients you might need 1/4 to 1/3 cup. If had I left them out this would have been fine. Next time I’ll stick with Dorie Greenspan. Her recipes are more foolproof.

susiecue

I’ve been making this tart annually at Rose Hashanah, for many years. I have always used Rose Barenbaum’s recipe from her, “The Pie and Pastry Bible.” This year I tried this version. I will revert to the original recipe next year. This recipe is more complicated and laborious without offering any improvement. This version is way too sweet for my taste and has the proportions wrong: way too much of cookie crumbs, too much apricot glaze, too much cinnamon sugar. That said, family loved it.

EH

As others have noted, a cup of crumbs is far too much, and I found that the neutral bread crumb flavor and textured detracted from the sweet plum and crust. If I make it again, I'll try almond meal sufficient to generously dust the crust's surface.

S. Goodland

Another way to prevent soggy pastry bottoms and sides is to brush it with a bit of beaten egg white - I usually do this after blind baking the shell. Let it dry a bit before adding the filling. It works on American style pie pastry too!

Erika

I used almond meal, as suggested in another comment, but found that one cup (as the recipe suggests) was too much. I'd reduce it to half a cup next time, to avoid dryness. I also used smaller, sour plums, which created a nice combo of sweet and sour.

Curt

That plum description! If they are Italian plums cut this way. If they are larger than Italian plums cut this other way. If they are smaller than the larger plums but bigger than the Italian plums, then do this third thing. It’s all predicated on the assumption that the reader knows how big an Italian plum is. I don’t even know *what* an Italian plum is. Why not just start with inches?

Marissa

I always brush the jam to glaze as it gives it a glossy appetizing look and adds another taste profile to the plums...Use cherry, strawberry, or as a mixture to any other berry jam to experiment. https://5starchefblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/20160926_163653_optimized.jpg?w=1000

Bill

Could you describe the paring knife cut ... in another way?? For ex, are you cutting into the flesh? Or into the skin? I presume you are cutting into the skin and nearly to the flesh ?? I just cannot visualize it with the present text. Thanks

Patricia C

This was not nearly enough sugar for my plums.

Diane

Depending upon the ripeness of the plums, this could take another 15-20 minutes to cook. I liked Marcia's suggestion of almond meal and combined it with the breadcrumbs for more flavor. Also a sprinkle of rosemary was nice. For the crust, I used 1/3 whole wheat flour, and a little rosemary and nutmeg.

MM

Can also use figs.

marcia dunsker

instead of crumbs, try almond meal.

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