So, I bought a bunch of plums and they were good, cheap plums. Unfortunately, they were also mismatched - some were deep purplish-red inside and some were yellow inside. The purplish-red ones were really, really good and sooooo juicy. I took the picture at the top of this post because they looked so incredible when I sliced them open. Now I realize that picture looks like I am holding a freshly-ripped-out-perhaps-still-beating heart. But you get the point.
I also had jam issues. It seems plum jam is a rarity in Central Illinois. Not that we don't suffer from a over-abundance of other fringe jams . . . black cherry, apricot, fig, guava, and tutti frutti. Yes. Tutti-frutti jam. But no plum. So I used the black raspberry jam we picked up at the Des Moines Farmers' Market last weekend. In the end, I don't think it made a difference because the tart was so plum-y that the jam was lost.
But it certainly was pretty. I used a total of six plums, but they were regular everyday plums, not the Italian ones mentioned in the recipe. I also used an 11 inch tart pan - mostly because that happens to be the only type I have. However, I also read from other bakers that they wish they had used a bigger pan.
My brioche didn't puff much, but it still tasted very briochey. The fruit was slightly tart and I thought the almonds were not really cohesive with the rest of the tart. I think what would be really good is a layer of marzipan instead of jam. Yum.
Of course, I would probably eat a still-beating-heart if it had marzipan in it.
Speaking of blood, this picture sort of looks like I had an accident while slicing the tart. Don't worry - that's just plum juice. Really.
3 comments:
That is exactly what I thought when I saw your first photo, it looked like a heart. Your tart looks great and I love how messy the last photo is.
PH,
Well, you can't beat fresh ingredients (You wouldn't want to eat an old heart).
I'm going to watch for plum jam because I'd really like to make this again. I bet your 11" pan worked out really well. I think my 9" was a little small. I think I would leave the almonds off next time. Or at least toast them, as my nectarines were so juicy that the almonds were almost soggy.
Jennifer
I am nearly positive that Haddad's, of all places, had plum jam. It's called Miller's Country Made and is not in the same place as all the usual suspects. The best thing is that the Miller's has no corn syrup sweetners, just 'real' sugar. I can give a thumbs up for the grape, strawberry and peach.
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