Rustic Plum and Cream Cheese Tart

Rustic Plum and Cream Cheese Tart

Two weeks ago I made rustic cherry tartlettes and I loved them so much, I made another, similar tart this past weekend. This time I used plums and made it one large tart, and it was just as incredibly delicious as the cherry tartlettes. The plums were sublime, just perfect with the buttery crust and slightly sweetened cream cheese. This time I  added walnuts on the edge of the crust. The combination of egg wash, sugar and walnut caramelized beautifully to form a buttery, crispy and crunchy crust edge, which contrasted really well with the smooth and sweet plums and cream cheese.

You could use just about any fruit in this tart. I chose plums because they looked the best and most ripe at the grocery store, but I would like to try blueberries, strawberries and peaches.

Dough:

• Flour -  1/4 cups (all-purpose or bread  flour, either is fine)
• Sugar - 1 Tblsp.
• Salt - 1 tsp.
• Butter - 1 stick (8 tablespoons), chilled (from refrigerator) and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• Water - 3-4 Tblsps., ice cold

Cream cheese filling:

• Cream Cheese - 8 oz., at room temperature
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.
• Vanilla - 1 tsp.

Plum filling:

• Plums - 2 cups, fresh, sliced thin (about 5-6 medium-sized; I left the skins on)
• Cornstarch - 2 Tblsp.
• Sugar - 1/3 cup sugar
• Almond Extract - 1/4 tsp.
• Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.

Optional topping:

• Egg - 1, beaten
• Sugar - 1-2 Tblsp.
• Walnuts - 1/4 cup, chopped

1. To make the dough,  combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, then add the cubed butter.
2. Use your (clean) hands to combine the butter into the flour mixture, rubbing it in with your fingers.
3. Do this for a few minutes until it is crumbly, with some pea-sized pieces, but most of it combined (but crumbly).
4. Add the cold water, starting with three tablespoons. Knead the dough a bit (in the bowl) and if it seems too dry, add up to another 1 tablespoon of cold water (I used all 4 tablespoons.)
5. Knead about 10 times, until the dough is very well blended. Form into a disk, about an inch thick, cover with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to three days.
6. To make the cream cheese filling, put all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, and blend with a mixer until it smooth and consistent and a bit fluffy (about 2 minutes). You can use as is, or cover and refrigerate for later use.
7. To make the plum filling, combine all of the ingredients and toss gently to mix thoroughly.
8. Use right away, or chill for later use. If a liquid collects in the bowl, drain it out.
9. To make the crust and begin assembling the tart, remove the dough from the refrigerator, place on a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin.
10. Roll out until it is about  12-13 inches round. Remember, this is rustic and so it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle. Imperfections are part of the charm.
11. Lift up the crust carefully and place a greased sheet.
12. Spread the cream cheese in the center, leaving about 2-3 inches of crust plain (i.e., not covered by cream cheese.) This will be folder over later.
13. Place plums evenly on top of the cream cheese. If you want it a bit fancy, arrange plum wedges in a circular pattern in the center.
14. Fold the edges of dough over to partially cover the plums and cheese.
15. Pinch together in about 4 places. Again, perfection is not the goal — these are rustic, so they do not have to be even.
16. It is important to try and make sure the tart is pinched closed,  so liquid stays in the tart and does not leak out.
17. Brush exposed dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and walnuts.
18. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tart is golden to medium brown. (Oddly enough, I use a rotating pizza cooker because my oven is not working, and it came out perfectly.)
19. Let cool before removing from the sheet and placing on a serving plate.

I used several sources to develop this recipe, most notably, Evil Shenanigans provided excellent inspiration and ingredient ideas and amounts.

Tags: cheese, fruit, plums, Summer