PLUM TART/CRISP
Author Notes: Although this desert looks like a tart or pie, the way it behaves depends on the kind of plum you use. If you use firm varieties, your tart will stay in tact. If you use the more common red plum as I did, you are going to get more of a crisp. The crust is classic crumble with added stability from an egg yolk and more butter, but with juicy fruit, it is not quite stable enough to preserve the allusion that it is a tart. With soft ripe plums, it will fall apart when cut, so let go of any notion of pretty wedges on a plate and just dig the spoon into it as you would when serving a fruit crisp. It doesn't matter anyway. It tastes outstanding. Inside the crust are fresh sliced plums tossed with a little lemon zest - nothing else. The tart/crisp is baked until the plums are bubbly and the crust is golden brown. It tastes sweet but not overly. It is homemade perfection - which means that although it might not look perfect, it tastes divine. - Waverly - Waverly
Food52 Review: Waverly’s Plum Tart/Crisp is, as she suggests, homemade perfection. With ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and spice rack, it comes together easily and is simply delicious. I used red plums and, as she mentioned, it acted more like a crisp – the crumbly cinnamon and nutmeg-scented crust a perfect match for the slightly tart plums. Toasted walnuts add a sweet, nutty richness; with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, as Waverly suggests, I could eat this every night. - gingerroot - A&M
Serves 8
- 2 pounds ripe red plums
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped and lightly toasted
- 3/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 egg yolk
- PREP THE PLUMS: Preheat the oven to 400. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Submerge each plum in the boiling water for about 15 seconds. The skin will peel off easily. When all of the plums are peeled, cut them in half, lengthwise. Remove the pit. Quarter the plums and then toss them in a bowl with the lemon zest. Set aside.
- MAKE THE CRUST/CRUMBLE: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, toasted walnuts, and sugar. Use you fingers to work the butter and egg yolk into the mixture until it becomes crumbly.
- ASSEMBLE THE TART: Butter a 9 1/2 inch tart or pie pan. Press 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup of the dough into the bottom of the pie pan in an even layer. Arrange the plums on top of the crust in an even layer. Sprinkle the rest of the crust mixture on top of the plums.
- BAKE AND SERVE: Place pie pan on a baking sheet and bake until the plums are bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve right from the pan warm or at room temperature. A little scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side goes very well.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe for Plums
Tags: Desserts, dinner party, Summer



almost 3 years ago Sagegreen
Love the look of this. Gorgeous plate, too!
almost 3 years ago dymnyno
I agree...the "new" picture really makes your recipe look as delicious as it sounds.
almost 3 years ago la figue de vol
Waverly, I think that your recipe sound yummy!! I think you need a better picture. I am not a very good photographer either. Some of the food52 members post pictures that are positively professional!
almost 3 years ago Waverly
I have more pictures....thank you for the constructive comment. It was a little difficult to do it justice with a photo...I will try a different one.
PS. Our tart is no more. We finished it off last night. It WAS yummy!