Sugar Plum Tart With Puff Pastry
Hi! I have not been on Project Pastry Love in a whole month. I missed it terribly. I missed baking terribly. My life got in the way. Can you believe that?! I mean, really. The nerve! But I am feeling renewed these days, so let’s get this bitch going!
In my baking studies journey I have come to the Laminated Dough section. I’m about to be knee deep in flakiness, butter, and lots of calories. If you are not familiar, lamination is the process of incorporating fat into pastry dough through folding and rolling. Basically, you mix flour, salt and cold water together to form a dough, and then fold and roll butter into it. It’s a lot of work, but the payoff is grand. I’m talking buttery puff pastry, flakey croissants, and buttery, flakey Danish (I couldn’t think of any more adjectives).
My first attempt at puff pastry was good, but not great. I plan on working it again with a few changes. I decided to make a Plum Tart after spotting some Sugar Plums at Abmas Farm. Even though I still haven’t mastered lamination, it was a very good tart.
Behold the butter… Now, beat the heck out of it with a rolling pin.
Voila!
In a food processor, mix the flours, salt, and cold water together.
After about five pulses the dough is ready to be rolled out.
Cut a tic-tac-toe board on the ball of dough.
Roll out the dough into a rough rectangle.
Place the butter in the middle of the dough.
Wrap the flattened butter up in the dough.
Roll out dough to a rough rectangle, about half an inch thick
Fold the flattened, rectangular-shaped dough like a letter (top half folds a quarter way down and bottom folds over top).
There… you’ve completed one turn! Now do five more.
I used Sugar Plum from a local farm in my area. My father-in-law says that sugar plums are the best plums to use for a plum tart.
Quarter each plum.
Roll out puff pastry dough and drape across your tart pan.
Take a sharp knife and carefully cut off the excess dough around the edge.
Simmer water, sugar and plums together until thickened.
Pour the cooled plum sauce over top the pastry shell.
Place the uncooked plum pieces on top of the plum sauce.
As lovely as this looks, the crust should have puffed up more… my bad.
- 1 1/4 cups (161 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup (84 g) Cake Flour
- 1/2 TBS (8 g) Salt
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) ice cold Water
- 1 cup (226 g) Unsalted Butter
- 14 Sugar Plums (about 2 to 3 oz. each)
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) Water
- 1/4 cup (51 g) Sugar
- Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix.
- Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough with be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers.
- Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, and, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern.
- Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1/2 an inch thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm; if it has softened chill it before continuing.
- Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour. With your rolling pin, press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10-inch square.
- Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the sides over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. You should now have a cute little butter package in front of you.
- Chill the dough until it feels cold again.
- Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a rectangle three times its original length.
- Fold the rectangle into thirds like a business letter.
- Congratulations! You have completed your first "turn". Now follow steps 9 and 10 again five more times. Remember to chill the dough in between "turns", and always begin the next turn with the dough's closed fold on your left like a book.
- Once all of the "turns" are complete wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until further use.
- Quarter and pit 8 of the plums.
- In a heavy saucepan, combine the quartered plums with the water and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, for 25 minutes, or untilthe mixture is very thick.
- Remove from the heat and let stand until warm.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set out a 10 inch tart pan.
- Quarter the remaining plums.
- Now, go get your chilled puff pastry dough from the fridge, and on a lightly floured surface roll it out to fit your tart pan.
- Gently, place the dough into the pan, and with a sharp knife, cut off the excess dough around the edge.
- Spread the cooked plums in the bottom of the pastry shell. Top with the uncooked plums, skin side down, evenly spaced.
- Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the plum juices are bubbling near the center.
- Transfer the tart to a rack to cool.
