Fall

Tarte aux Quetsches (Italian Plum Tart)

by:
August  2, 2010
4
1 Ratings
Tarte aux Quetsches (Italian Plum Tart)
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

This is one of my great childhood memories. My mother used to make this tart all the time in September when quetsches (Italian plums) are in season. - Culinista Annouchka —Culinista Annouchka

Test Kitchen Notes

My fruit supplier told me I was a week shy of getting my hands on purple prune plums (very close relations to the quetsches Culinista Annouchka calls for), so I went with plain purple plums, sitting them inside a sweetened short crust. The resulting tart didn’t suffer from that slight substitution. Because the pitted plum halves are soaked in lemon juice and cinnamon prior to being added to the tart, the creamy pool of custard they're set in doesn’t mask the tartness of the fruit. This tart needs a significant rest after baking, so it’s best slotted as a make-ahead dessert. - cheese1227 —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 quantity french pastry dough, or your favorite tart shell
  • 2 to 3 cups Italian plums (quetsches), halved and pitted
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 pinch cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar (or more if you like your tart sweeter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375-400 degrees (depending on your oven). Place the dough in a buttered pie dish.
  2. In a bowl combine the plums, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon and combine for 5 to 10 minutes. Arrange the plums on top of the dough and put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. While the plums are baking, whisk the egg, the cream, the sugar and the vanilla in a bowl until combined and pale yellow.
  4. Take the pie out of the oven and pour the egg and cream mixture on top of the plums. Place in the oven and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the cream mixture has set and the fruit is bubbling. Let rest for a few hours or over night.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Sunchowder
    Sunchowder
  • Heena
    Heena
  • WinnieAb
    WinnieAb
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Culinista Annouchka
    Culinista Annouchka

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8 Reviews

Sunchowder
Sunchowder September 15, 2010
Gorgeous!
 
Culinista A.
Culinista A. September 16, 2010
Thank you!!
 
Heena
Heena September 13, 2010
This looks beautiful. I wanted to submit a tart recipe too - but I thought we could submit only double crusted pies to this category? Will appreciate it if someone could clarify. Thanks!
 
Culinista A.
Culinista A. September 13, 2010
Good question, I actually have no idea...but I'm french so pie = tarte!
 
WinnieAb
WinnieAb August 3, 2010
This looks positively heavenly!
 
Culinista A.
Culinista A. August 3, 2010
Thank you WinnieAb (or I should say, my mother thanks you....)
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen August 2, 2010
Lovely. This is the same kind of wonderful plum tart I have been so taken with! This is really similar to the German version I am working with, too. There is just something about that luscious cream filling. I have tried this with yogurt to substitute for cream; it's good, but not the same as this!
 
Culinista A.
Culinista A. August 3, 2010
Yes my aunt has also made a version with yogurt, but it's hard to beat the cream!