Plum and Frangipane Tart

If you like tarts, if you like a combination of sweet and tart flavors and if you like to eat beautiful looking food..then this recipe is for you!

The plums that I bought for this tart turned out to be quiet sour, they were smaller in size and lighter in color than the regular plum. I added some sugar to them before placing it on the tart but somehow they still stayed a bit tart in the core even after being baked. As a result it turned out to be a delicious tasting and a beautiful looking tart which paired so well with vanilla ice cream.

I rubbed the sugar with seeds of a vanilla bean and it made my whole house smell so great while the tart was baking. I feel, the vanilla adds a little extra flavor to any dessert recipe. From now on whenever baking I will try to vanilify my sugar as much as possible.

But always taste the fruit before adding sugar to it..because the sweetness of the fruit determines the quantity of sugar that you need to put in it.

A friend of mine got me some ready made frangipane from France. Ever since I got it, I have been itching to make a tart with it. I saw these beautiful plums in the store and knew instantly what I was gonna do with them.

The flavor of almond blends really well with these plums!

In the last 10 minutes of baking…when the tart was almost done, I sprinkled some brown sugar on top of the tart (more towards the edges) and shifted the rack in the oven to the top most slot with the “top only” heat selection. Then baked the tart for 10 more minutes. It gave the plums a caramelized edge and added a hint of smokiness to the tart. This step it optional, but I really liked a little crunch and a subtle difference in texture this gave.

Serving 8 slices

cooking time 2 hours

Things You Will Need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar (divided into two parts)

15 nos fresh small plums, pitted and quartered

frangipane

1/4 cup ice cold water

1 vanilla pod

*I used ready made frangipane, but you can follow the recipe linked above.

In a large bowl add flour, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla beans from half of the pod and butter. Mix the butter into the flour using your hands. Rub the mixture between your palms till it starts resembling bread crumbs. Mix in the egg yolks to the mixture. Adding 1 tbs water at a time, mix till the mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap in a cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In the meantime – using your fingertips, rub the second half of the vanilla bean into the leftover sugar. Let it sit in the sugar for about 20 minutes. Roll out the dough into a round shape of about 1/8 inch of a thickness or large enough to cover the tart pan. Place the dough on the tart pan and trim the excess (if any). Refrigerate again for another 15 minutes.

Mix the vanilla infused sugar with the quartered plums and mix till the sugar coats the plums nicely. Add a layer of frangipane on the tart shell and prick the surface of the tart with a fork. Arrange the plums in a circular pattern and pour any leftover liquid from the pan in which you had mixed the plums and sugar. In a preheated oven at 350F bake the tart for about an hour. Since every oven is different, you want to start checking on it after 45 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.