Shared by Joan Nathan
Shared by Joan Nathan
Joan Nathan's Plum Tart
Yield: 8 servings
Joan Nathan's Plum Tart
Yield: 8 servingsFamily Journey
GermanyProvidence, RI
Washington, D.C.
“I really feel family recipes tell who you are,” says Joan Nathan, the author of 11 cookbooks, including her latest, “My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories.” This plum tart, which is flavored with brandy and cinnamon, has been part of her family’s repertoire for generations, changing with each baker.
It comes from her father Ernest Nathan’s German side of the family. He “came to Rhode Island in 1929, the day after the stock market [crashed],” explains Joan. And her mother Pearl likely learned the recipe from her mother-in-law Lina, but she updated it, adding jam as a layer on the bottom of the tart — a tip she learned from watching Julia Child.
Joan has also tweaked the recipe over the years, trimming the amount of sugar and par-baking the crust to ensure it stays crisp even as the fruit releases some of its juices. When she makes the tart for Rosh Hashanah, only Italian blue plums will do, but during the summer, when she spends her time on Martha’s Vineyard, Joan will sometimes swap them out for peaches, blueberries, or the raspberries that grow in her garden.
Read more about her family in "The Dishes That Mark the High Holidays for Joan Nathan."
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
- 3 tablespoons plum or other fruit jam
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1 ½ pounds Italian blue plums
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar
Preparation
Step 1
To make the crust, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter together in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade until crumbled. Then add the egg yolk, and pulse until the dough comes together.
Step 2
Place the dough in the center of an ungreased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Dust your fingers with flour, and gently press out the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 450°F, and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 375°F, and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, and let cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
Step 4
Mix the jam with the brandy in a small bowl, and spread over the bottom of the crust. Pit the plums and cut them into four pieces each. Starting at the outside, arrange the plums in a circle so that all the pieces overlap, created concentric circles that wind into the center of the pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and lemon zest.
Step 5
Return the tart to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the plums are juicy. Remove the tart from the oven, sprinkle on the sugar, and serve warm or at room temperature.
