Wednesday, August 20, 2008

plum tart...







2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
12 tablespoons cold butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
1 egg yolk
2 pounds firm, ripe plums, pitted and quartered lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.
Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.
Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Oh my, oh my.
That really is all I have to say about this.
Not really.
The other thing I have to say is that this is DIVINE. It is so good that I will NOT be making this again for a long time. Yea, it's that good. Seriously.
I have been wanting to make this for a couple of years, but I always seem to think about it when plums aren't in season. Well, this time I remembered. I got some beautiful plums and got to work. I was so happy {after the long wait} that it did not disappoint. This is another fabulous Barefoot Contessa recipe. Once again, Ina comes through.
*Just a little tip...sometimes cutting stone fruit can be a little bit of a pain. The first side is a piece of cake, but the side with the stone is a PAIN. So, I used my measuring spoon (pictured above) to remove the pits. They popped right out. This works for peaches and nectarines, as well (as long as they are not too soft)
Also, when pressing the crust into your pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup helps get the crust nicely pressed in to the bottom & edges.

4 comments:

Jennie said...

yeah, don't worry, I ate the whole thing by myself and of course, managed to spill purple plum on my white shirt. Classic Jennie. but it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

Mary Ann said...

Wow- that looks so delicious and so beautiful! Just the perfect thing to do with all those quickly becoming overripe plums from the tree in the backyard! Yum

Di said...

That looks fantastic! I love anything with crumbs on it. Wonderful pictures, and I'm sure it tasted great, too.

Anne said...

Wow, that looks just amazing! I love the photos and those ingredients sound delicious!