Mar 31, 2015

Dreaming of Plum Tarts

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Black Plums on Puff Pastry with Butter & Honey
This recipe is very simple to prepare and makes a delicious, elegant dessert. It's best served immediately, glazed with butter and honey. You can use whatever fruit you like, black plums just happened to be in season, but you could use fresh pineapple, mango, peaches, strawberries, etc.

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (14 ounce package)
1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, beaten
3 black plums, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place the puff pastry sheet on a parchment lined baking sheet. Prick all over with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up too much, then cut the pastry into six 4-inch squares, triangles, or circles. brush the pastry with the egg wash.

Slice the plums into thin even slices and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over top and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Place the plums in a fan shape of 3 or 4 on the tarts, leaving 1/2” border. Drizzle a bit of the melted butter over top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until the pastry is puffed and golden. Once finished, drizzle the remaining butter, combined with the honey, over topt. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Puff pastry gets soft very quickly and is then difficult to work with, especially here in Hawaii. Have everything ready, then bring out the puff pastry.


Dusted Black Plum Galette
A galette is a rustic French tart, but at the end of the day it is just a pie without a plate. I make this same recipe using fresh sliced plums, apples, or pears.

Dusted Black Plum Galette
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Ingredients for crust:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Ingredients for filling:
1 1/2 pounds black plums cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Whole milk
Confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

Procedure:
For the crust, blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and blend just until dough begins to clump together, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep dough chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Roll out dough between sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch-thick round, 14 inches in diameter. Remove top sheet of parchment. Using bottom sheet as aid, transfer dough on parchment to large unrimmed baking sheet. Chill 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine plum slices, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl; toss to blend. Spread preserves over crust, leaving 1 1/2-inch plain border. Arrange plum slices in concentric circles atop preserves, overlapping slightly. Using parchment as an aid, fold plain crust border up over apples, pinching any cracks in crust. Brush crust with milk. Sprinkle crust edges and plums with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake galette 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until crust is golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Slide long thin knife between parchment and galette. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners sugar. Makes 6 servings.

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