Author Notes
This recipe has been in my family for many generations. I remember my grandmother making it when she visited from Germany. The plums, small Italian prune plums, are only available at the end of summer here in New England. I buy as many as I can and freeze them or I'll have to wait a whole year until I can bake this again!
I bake with white spelt flour instead of all purpose, it has less gluten and gives it a nice texture. You can easily substitute other fruits like apples or peaches. Don't forget the whipped cream when you serve it, or 'schlag' as they say in Germany! —Agi Behan
Ingredients
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2
egg yolks
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7 tablespoons
unsalted butter, softened
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1
zest from 1 lemon
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1 pinch
salt
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1 to 2 cups
all purpose flour, or white spelt
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1/2 cup
sugar
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2 to 3 pounds
prune plums, halved and pitted
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1 teaspoon
vanilla sugar* or vanilla extract
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cinnamon for top
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2 tablespoons
unsalted butter for top
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whipped cream for serving
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" pie pan or ovenproof dish.
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Mix yolks with sugar using a wire whisk.
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Add flour, pinch of salt, lemon zest and vanilla or vanilla sugar
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Stir together then work in the butter with a wooden spoon and then your hands until you have a smooth dough.
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Dough should not stick to your hands so add a little more flour if necessary.
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Knead a few times on a very lightly floured board, then press into a greased 9" ovenproof dish or pie pan, pressing the dough up the sides to catch the juice.
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Place the plums on top in a nice circular pattern, sprinkle with a little sugar and dust with cinnamon.
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Dot with about 2 Tablespoons butter and bake about 45 minutes until edges are brown and plums are bubbling.
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Cool a bit before serving, topped with sweetened whipped cream.
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* Vanilla sugar can be found in some specialty stores, or you can make your own. Put a few vanilla bean pods into a jar that’s tall enough, and add some sugar. Completely cover the pods and let them sit that way for awhile before you use them. Then just replace the sugar each time you use some.
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