Zwetschgenwähe (Swiss Plum Tart)

Name: Zwetschgenwähe (Swiss Plum Tart)
Yield: One rectangular tart the size of a half sheet pan, serving 12-14 (or 2 round 8” tarts)
Ingredients: 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons vinegar; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; Approx. 2 ½-3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup heavy cream; 25-28 Damson/italian prune plums; 3 eggs; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ⅓ cup granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg; Confectioner’s sugar, for sprinkling

Total Time: 1 HOUR

Recipe Journey

Kishinev, MoldovaBasel, SwitzerlandSt. Gallen, Switzerland

ZurichBrooklynMonsey, NY

Brooklyn and Israel

Chaya Rappaport grew up making this plum tart and challah with her grandmother on Friday afternoons in Zurich. “Everyone in the family makes it,” she explains. “We wait all year for apricots and plums.” During the summer in New York City, where Chaya lives today, she makes it almost every week and when her family gathers, she always bakes a few of them. “My uncles all love it with apricots; I am a fan of the plum version,” she adds.

Italian prune plums called “zwetschgen” are more traditional, but you can use either fruit or both in this recipe. They will turn soft and jammy in the oven and release some of their juices into the custard. “This dough may be different than what you’re used to, but don’t be afraid of it,” Chaya explains. “The flavor of the vinegar all but disappears and it helps contribute to a flaky, crispy dough.”

Read more about Chaya’s family in A Swiss Spread for Shabbat Afternoons and try her recipes for laugenbrötli (lye bread), rösti with gruyere, and chocolate schnecken.

Ingredients

One rectangular tart the size of a half sheet pan, serving 12-14 (or 2 round 8” tarts)

For the dough:

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Approx. 2 ½-3 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:

1 cup heavy cream
25-28 Damson/italian prune plums
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Confectioner’s sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°.

Step 2

Combine the oil, water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl.

Step 3

Add flour until it becomes a dough, approx. 2 ½ to 3 cups. (The finished dough should be thin, wet and look slightly mealy. The goal here is to get it to hold together and nothing more.

Step 4

Gently spread the dough onto greased baking paper in a sheet pan, until it lies smooth, flat and thin.

Step 5

Wash the plums. Halve and pit them, then lay them on the dough, cut side up, making neat rows. Bake the tart for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Meanwhile, mix the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, sugar, and nutmeg together.

Step 7

When the 15 minutes are up, open the oven door and carefully pour the custard mixture over the tart in the oven. Bake the tart for another 45-55 minutes or until the custard is golden-brown, the plums are softened and the dough is crisp.