Swiss Plum Tart

I watched Uncle Craig, Economics Ph.D. and Le Cordon Bleu graduate, whip this together one night in Summit, NJ on a whim simply to use up plums before they over-ripened. It is one of my favorite desserts, and if you use a store-bought pound cake or angel food cake for the white cake crumbs, this is really pretty easy to make. (You can even use a store bought pie crust. . .)

1 pie crust

3/4 cup white cake crumbs (store-bought pound cake works great!)

4 T almonds, finely ground

12 - 16 fresh plums, pitted and sliced

2 T sugar

1 T lemon juice

3 T unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup apricot jam

Confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling

Basic Pie Crust:*

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

8 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 to 4 T ice water, as needed

* - Makes 2 pie crusts.

~ Prepare pie crust and line pie plate.

~ Preheat oven to 400º F.

~ Spread the cake crumbs and almonds over the pastry dough.

~ Arrange plums in concentric circles over the crumbs.

~ Sprinkle the sugar and lemon juice over the plums, then dot with butter.

~ Bake until plums are soft and crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

~ Brush plums with apricot jam to glaze.

~ Allow tart to cool completely.

~ Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.”

~ Clement Clarke Moore