Hamdi Saidani This Easy Plum Tart is a buttery and caramelized recipe, which is made with puff pastry and fresh plums. It’s a restaurant-quality dish, ready in about an hour and 15 minutes.
Easy Plum Tart Recipe Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 pounds large plums, halved and pitted
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
How To Make Easy Plum Tart
- Prepare and Bake the Pastry: Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a floured surface, lay out the puff pastry. Sprinkle it with the almonds and some sugar. Press it with a rolling pin to make a 6×14-inch rectangle. Score a 1-inch border around the edge with a knife and pierce the middle all over with a fork. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and puffed.
- Make the Caramel: In a heavy pan, stir together the 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, and the lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts. Uncover and continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is an amber color.
- Cook the Plums: Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the plums, 3 tablespoons of the butter, and the vanilla pod and seeds. Return to a low heat and cook, tossing gently, for about 20 minutes, until the plums are soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Finish the Sauce and Serve: Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until combined. Transfer the baked pastry crust to a platter. Top with the warm plums and half of the sauce. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the remaining sauce on the side.
Recipe Tips
- How to get a crispy puff pastry crust? The most important step is to “dock” the pastry by piercing the middle all over with a fork before baking. This prevents the center from puffing up too much and allows it to bake into a flat, crispy base.
- How to prevent the caramel from burning? Watch it closely! Once you uncover the pan, swirl it gently instead of stirring. As soon as it turns a beautiful amber color, remove it from the heat immediately, as it can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds.
- What are the best plums to use? Firm, ripe plums are the best choice. They will hold their shape during cooking and provide the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. Varieties like Black, Red, or Damson plums are all excellent options.
- Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. For the best texture, you can bake the puff pastry crust and make the plum topping separately up to a day in advance. Store them in airtight containers. Just before serving, gently reheat the plums and assemble the tart.
What To Serve With Plum Tart
This is an elegant and complete dessert that is perfectly served, as the recipe suggests, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It would also be delicious with:
- A dollop of crème fraîche or mascarpone cheese
- A pouring of thick, hot custard
- A simple drizzle of heavy cream
How To Store Plum Tart
- Best Eaten Fresh: This tart is at its absolute best when it is freshly assembled, as the puff pastry will be at its crispiest.
- Refrigerate: If you have leftovers, it’s best to store the plum topping and the pastry separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Assembled tart will become soggy.
- Reheat: To serve again, you can crisp up the pastry in a 350°F oven for a few minutes and gently reheat the plum topping in a saucepan.
Plum Tart Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1/6th of tart
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 75g
- Protein: 6g
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Sugar: 55g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
Why is my puff pastry soggy?
A soggy crust is usually because the hot, wet fruit topping was allowed to sit on it for too long before serving. Assembling the tart just before you plan to eat it is the key to a perfectly crisp base.
Can I use a different fruit?
Yes, this recipe is a fantastic template for other fruits. Sliced pears or apples would be a wonderful substitute for the plums. You would follow the same method, perhaps cooking them a few minutes less until they are just tender.
Do I have to use a vanilla bean?
No. While a vanilla bean provides the most intense, authentic flavor with beautiful vanilla specks, you can easily substitute it with 1 teaspoon of a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Stir it into the plum sauce at the very end, off the heat.
Try More Recipes:
Easy Plum Tart Recipe
Description
An elegant and impressive dessert featuring a crispy, almond-dusted puff pastry crust topped with soft, sweet plums in a rich, homemade caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle, score a border, and pierce the center with a fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Make a caramel by cooking the sugar, 2 tbsp water, and lemon juice in a pan until it is an amber color.
- Carefully add the plums, 3 tbsp of butter, and the vanilla to the caramel. Cook on low for about 20 minutes until the plums are soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Stir in the remaining 3 tbsp of butter off the heat.
- Top the baked pastry crust with the warm plums and about half of the sauce.
- Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream and the remaining sauce on the side.
Notes
- The most important tip for this recipe is to assemble it just before serving to ensure the puff pastry crust stays wonderfully crisp.
- When making the caramel, swirl the pan instead of stirring it to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
- For the best results, use firm, ripe plums that will hold their shape and not turn to complete mush when cooked in the caramel.
- Don’t skip piercing the center of the puff pastry with a fork; this is the secret to preventing it from puffing up into a giant pillow.
