Little Jack Horner’s got nothing on me. What’s he got? A corner, a thumb and a nursery rhyme no one understands. Me? I’ve got fresh plums and frangipane. That’s right. You heard me. Frangipane. I know. It sounds like a resort cocktail, but it’s really just fancy food talk for a filling made with ground almonds. And plums and almonds go together like boozy fruit-based cocktails and tiny paper umbrellas – or sneaky little boys and pies — so this was combination seemed obvious.
I had pastry left over from the annual Thanksgiving Concord Grape Pie – enough to make a 6-inch tart. So, I got creative with the plums. Compared to the in-your-face-I’m-a-GRAPE pie, this one is subtle. But subtle’s good.
Good enough to stick your thumb in.
After feedback on the new recipe format, I’m trying a third variation. People like a complete ingredient list to use for grocery shopping and mise en place (another fancy food word for something simple — preparing all your ingredients before you cook.) but also liked the instructions woven in with the ingredient requirements. So, I’m trying a hybrid format. What do you think? Too long? Works better?
Plum Frangipane Tart
Serves 4 or 6
Ingredients List
- pastry for 6-inch pie
- 2 cups plums, pitted and sliced in wedges
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- fresh nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup ground almonds
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
Roll pastry to 1/4-inch thick and line a 6-inch tart pan. Chill in refrigerator until ready.
Toss together and then set aside:
- 2 cups plums, pitted and sliced in wedges
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- generous grating of fresh nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Make the frangipane in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup ground almonds
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
Spread the frangipane evenly across the bottom of the pie shell. Sprinkle with the sugared plums.
Place the pie in the bottom third of the oven and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the plums are bubbling.
Allow to cool before serving.
What a delicious way to use plums. This tart just looks so homey.
@Lisa, homey is a nice word. I was thinking ‘rustic’. I think I like homey better.
This looks wonderful. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my husband to eat plums. He swears he doesn’t like them but I don’t think he’s tasted one since he was a kid. If I don’t tell him they’re plums, he just might eat this. Thanks
Janet Foster recently posted…Almost Homemade Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Angel Hair Pasta
@Janet Foster, let me know how it goes. Plums are often used in Moroccan main dishes, so you could sneak some in with a chicken dinner sometime.
You are so right – frangipane is divine and with plums sublime. Thanks for sharing this one.
Sally recently posted…Diary of a Christmas cake
PS Meant to say, that format works for me (or just the ingredients at the top is fine too).
Sally recently posted…Diary of a Christmas cake
@Sally, Thanks for the feedback. I think the ingredient list becomes more important with more complex recipes, but time will tell.
I appreciate you taking the time to post a second comment to answer my question.