With fall tiptoeing in, it’s tough to find plums now. Luckily, I was able to find some squishy prune plums at my local Farmers Market. Actually, my Farmers Market is a Middle Eastern market that carries a large array of fruits and vegetables, usually ones that are at the end of their season or larger or smaller than the ideal. It’s sort of like the misfits model that the food delivery company Imperfect Foods uses. And why not? Who cares of the apples are too small or the carrots are contorted?
We have a real problem with food waste in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that we waste 218.9 pounds of food per person per year. Awful! That’s 30% to 40% of our food supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have teamed up to address the problem of food waste. Their goal is to cut waste by 50% by 2030. I’m in for that.
Here is a great Ina Garten recipe for a Plum Tart. There won’t be any food waste with this one!
Plum Tart
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound prune plums or other red-fleshed plums (quartered and pitted)
- 2 T. minute tapioca
- 2 T. creme de cassis liqueur (optional)
- 1 3/4 C. sugar (divided)
- 1/4 pound unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- 1/4 t. baking powder
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare a tart pan with a removable bottom by greasing it thoroughly and then dusting the pan with flour.
- Step 2 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Step 3 Prepare the plums and toss them with 3/4 C. sugar, tapioca, and creme de cassis (if using). Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes before using in the tart.
- Step 4 In another bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Step 5 To prepare the crust: Cream the butter and 1 C. sugar. I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Gradually add in the flour/spice mixture. Mix until the ingredients come together into fine crumbs. Add 1 T. ice cold water to the mixture and continue mixing until the ingredients form large crumbs. Measure out 3/4 C. of the crumbly mixture and set it aside to be used as a topping for the tart. Pour the remainder of the crumbly mixture into your prepared tart pan and press it gently to form the crust, pressing some of the crumbly mixture up the sides of the pan. I found that a too thick crust on the edges of the tart baked too hard, so be careful to press the crumbs gently and keep the edges relatively thin. Arrange the plum slices in concentric circles on the crust. Pour some of the tapioca-thickened juices over the plums. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top of the tart.
- Step 6 Bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour. You want the filling to be bubbling. The crust should be slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, but it is actually better to let the tart cool longer so that the tapioca-thickened juices can solidify.
This is my take on an Ina Garten recipe. You can find the original recipe here.
