Plum and Almond Tart

 

Plums are in they're full peak right now and it is a great fruit to make for both sweet and savory dishes. Today I want to share with you my almond tart recipe with fresh plum in it. This tart is not only delicious, but it's also very versatile. You can pretty much use this as a blank canvas and put different fruits in it according to the season.

 

Ingredients:
Serves 8 to 9 people in  a 10 inch tart pan

For the tart shell:
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 C ground almond
1/2 C confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt

For the almond filling:
1 C  ground almond
3 tsp all purpose flour
1 stick butter
1 large egg
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C confectioners sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

For the plum sauce:
1 C pitted and diced plum
1/4 C water
1/3 C sugar

For the toppings:
5 to 7 pitted and sliced fresh plums
2 tsp raw sugar
2 Tbsp almond slices

Directions:

Start by making the plum sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless steel sauce pan and bring it to a full simmer. Then turn the heat down to low and let it cook for 20 minutes. The liquid will reduce and the sauce will thicken. Chill it to room temperature.

To make the tart shell, start by cutting the butter into small cubes and chill it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flour, almond meal and confectioners sugar in the food processor. Then add the cold butter and pulse it to coarse meal. Add the egg and salt and pulse it just until all fully combined. Gently form it into a disk and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out thin and press it into a buttered tart shell. Fold in any extra dough and press it around the side of the shell. This will give your shell a nice thick wall around it. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the shell. Chill it in the refrigerator again for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Cream the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add in the egg, salt, almond extract and vanilla extract. Mix in the four and almond meal.

Spoon in a thin layer of the plum sauce into the bottom of the chilled tart shell. Then cover it up with the almond filling, using an offset spatula to smooth it out.

Place the slices of plum on top of the tart. The best way to assemble them is to start from the outside and work your way in to the center.

Sprinkle the raw sugar on the plums. This will not only sweeten the plum, but give it a nice caramelized color when it bakes. Last but not least, scatter the sliced almond over the tart.

Bake the tart on the lowest rack in the oven on 400F for 10 minutes. Then move the tart to the middle of the rack and turn the oven down to 375F and bake it for another 20 minutes. By doing so, your tart will not have a soggy bottom and the edges of the tart will not shrink. This way, you will get a nice evenly baked tart.

Enjoy!