Rustic Plum Tart

I’m not the greatest pie-maker…I still need to improve my baking skills in that area! So I thought I would attempt an easier recipe, and this Rustic Plum Tart I found at MyRecipes seemed like a good place to start. The original recipe has a note that says, “If the plums are very ripe, their juices may ooze out of the tart and onto the parchment paper [lined pan], but this adds to the desserts’ rustic charm.” When I made my tart, there was a little oozing, but not that much, and I really liked the rustic look of this tart. There’s a syrup made from the extra juices of the plums, which is drizzled over the entire tart after baking and then drizzled a little more on each piece when served. Those drizzles of syrup makes the tart really yummy!

This tart was easy to make, partly because the recipe calls for a refrigerated pie crust. If you like making your own crust, you could do that, too. I used red plums in this tart, but you can use any variety of plums. The original recipe mentons you can also use other fruit, like peaches and nectarines, apricots, or cherries, and I’m mentioning these variations at the end of the post. Whether you’ve never made a tart or pie and would like to try, or are a fan of tarts and pies, you’ll have to try this out!

Rustic Plum Tart

Servings: 8
Time: 2hr
Difficulty: moderate
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RUSTIC PLUM TART by NancyC, adapted from MyRecipes
Makes 8 servings

Parchment paper
Cooking spray
3 cups of sliced, unpeeled plums (or 1 1/2 pounds unpeeled plums, sliced)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup plum preserves (I used Smucker’s® Red Plum Jam)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
1 pie crust from a (15-ounce) package of refrigerated pie crusts (or use a homemade crust)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Optional: Sweet Cream Topping or purchased whipped cream

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and coat parchment paper with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Stir together sliced plums, sugar, plum preserves, vanilla extract, and allspice or cinnamon in a large bowl. Let mixture stand 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, unroll pie crust on the parchment-lined baking sheet and using a rolling pin, roll into a larger 12-inch circle.

Drain plum mixture, reserving liquid; toss plums in the Tablespoon of flour. Mound plums in center of pie crust, leaving a 3-inch border. Fold pie crust border up and over plums, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 5 inches wide in the center.

Stir together the egg and 1 Tablespoon of water, then brush pie crust border generously with egg mixture (I didn’t use the entire mixture, but you can if you need to). Sprinkle sugar over the egg mixture and pie crust border.

Bake at 350˚F for 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Carefully transfer tart on parchment paper to a wire rack; cool 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring reserved plum liquid to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let cool slightly, then brush or drizzle 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the hot plum liquid over exposed fruit in center of tart.

Serve immediately with remaining plum syrup (lightly drizzled over each piece) and Sweet Cream Topping or whipped cream , if desired.

SWEET CREAM TOPPING: Stir together 1/2 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) and 2 teaspoons brown sugar. Cover and chill 2 hours. Stir just before serving.

Recipe from NancyC | nancy-c.com

Here’s what the tart looks like before you bake it and right after it’s baked:

Here are the TART VARIATIONS I mentioned earlier:
PEACH-NECTARINE TART: Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 1 1/2 cups (or 3/4 lb.) peeled nectarines and 1 1/2 cups (or 3/4 lb.) peeled peaches for the plums, and peach preserves for the plum preserves. Note: White Peaches don’t work well in this tart because of their delicate texture.

APRICOT-ALMOND TART: Prepare recipe as directed, substituting fresh apricots for plums and apricot preserves for plum preserves (no need to peel the apricots). Omit allspice or cinnamon. Substitute almond extract for vanilla extract. You could also sprinkle some sliced almonds on top of the fruit in the center of the tart before baking.

FRESH CHERRY TART: Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 3 cups (or 1 1/2 lbs.) fresh cherries, pitted, for plums and cherry preserves for plum preserves.

These variations all sound great, don’t they? Do you like making pies and tarts? What’s your favorite kind?

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