Plum Custard Tart
Slice through the deep purple exterior of a black plum, and you find a center whose sweetness intensifies in the oven. Combine that sweetness with vanilla crème fraîche custard and a tender, cookie-like crust, and you have what could easily be my favorite fruit tart. This recipe made me fall in love with plums all over again, and it is a glorious way to enjoy late summer fruit. As with many of my dessert tarts, a slice rivals the best breakfast pastry.
In the middle of the plum custard tart sits a half-round that becomes glazed with its own juice – no jam topping here. A generous sprinkle of raw sugar encourages the amber juice to collect where a pit once nestled. Sprinkle more on the partially submerged wedges and the custard itself for a beautiful top layer.
Ingredients
Pastry
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons chilled heavy cream
Filling
3 large black plums (just under a pound)
½ cup crème fraîche
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
1 egg
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Scant tablespoon raw sugar
How to Make the Plum Custard Tart Pastry
The pastry for this tart yields a tender crust that crumbles like a cookie and has just the right amount of sweetness to pair with the filling. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and pulse into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, stir the egg yolk and heavy cream just until combined. Add to the flour mixture and pulse until dough is shaggy and begins to hold together when a small amount is pinched.
Turn dough onto work surface or plastic wrap and gently form into a cohesive flattened disk. Refrigerate wrapped dough for at least 30 minutes. Due to the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in the dough, you may wish to let it sit for longer.
Once the dough has chilled and rested, roll it out to fit a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the tart with parchment paper and baking beans or pie weights, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans/weights and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before filling.
How to Make the Filling and Bake the Tart
Combine room temperature crème fraiche, sugar, heavy cream, egg, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk to combine thoroughly.
Run a knife around each plum, twist or gently pull the halves apart, and remove the pit. Reserve one half for the center of the tart. Cut the rest into wedges that will sit at about the height of the crust edge when arranged in a circle.
Arrange the plums around the edge of the tart, and place one half in the center. Gently pour the filling around the plums, allowing time for it to flow toward the outer edge. Sprinkle the plums generously with the raw sugar and make sure to sprinkle some on top of the custard as well.
Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard has just set. Allow to cool completely.
How to Release the Tart from the Pan
Fluted tart pans with removable bottoms yield a beautiful outer crust that can be showcased when serving this plum custard dessert. Here is my tip for releasing the outer ring: After the tart cools, place it on a small stand or large can that does not touch the outer edge. Make sure the crust is not adhering to the outer ring, and it should slip down onto the counter. Be gentle with the tart now that its outer crust is not protected by a pan, moving it and lifting it from the bottom.
Bake along with me from the comfort of your kitchen in one of my online cooking classes and pick up even more tips for creating beautiful seasonal desserts at home.
