Plum Tart

Today I made a plum tart. It was delicious. Unfortunately, no one else got to eat it. Right after I was finished taken pictures to show the world my beautiful work of art, I promptly dumped the tart on the floor. It was actually rather funny. I lifted the cake stand it was sitting on, saw it slide off and then because I had no time to react, watched as it flipped in the air and landed perfectly face down on the kitchen floor. I luckily had the piece I had cut for the photo and was able to try it. It really was delicious. I wish my whole family had been able to try it, but alas, I will just have to make it again.

Anyways, I had never made a plum tart before and I was not really sure what I wanted to do. After a little bit of searching, I found an idea that sounded wonderful. A lemon shortbread crust with a basic plum filling. Perfect. I love everything with lemon. It brings out so many flavors.

The crust was easy enough. You make it just like any shortbread crust. Flour, butter, sugar, salt and an egg yolk. The only thing I did differently this time was add about a teaspoon of lemon zest and about a teaspoon of vanilla extract. That's what made it so tasty.

The filling was simple enough too. You slice your plums fairly thin (but not too thin. If it's too thin, the plums will just fall apart and not look very pretty.) and toss them in sugar and cornstarch. I added a little lemon zest here too. I really wanted the lemon flavor to come out and compliment the plums. Then you let it sit and soak for a good hour. At least. After that you drain the juices into a sauce pan and cook it down until it is thick, like jelly.

After baking your crust you coat it with a layer of apricot preserves, then the plum juice jelly you made. Then you place your plum slices in a circular pattern. It's much easier than it looks. You just place them where ever there is room. Start from the outside and work in. Overlap the plums slightly so that they stack a little and make the tart a little thick. Then, you're ready to bake it. That's it. It was one of the simpler tarts I've ever made and the flavors were just divine.

The recipe I based mine off of can be found here:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/plum-tart-lemon-shortbread-crust.aspx

Check it out. Try it for yourself. It's worth it. Hopefully my next baking adventure will mean someone else actually gets to enjoy it with me. Best of luck with your cooking adventures!