Plum Tart

I love plums.  Actually, I love most fruits but I really enjoy plums.  They're just such a nice sweet, tart, plump little package.  And they're purple!  One of my two favorite colors...

But it seems that my men don't share my love of plums.  I'm really not sure what I was thinking when I picked up a bunch at the store last week, but I did.  And they sat in the fruit bowl.  And sat. And sat.

So the other day I decided the lack of interest in the plums irritated me.  Enough that I grabbed them out of the bowl and said "Screw it. I'm making a tart!"

Now I'm wishing my boys would ignore fruit more often so I can tart them up like this!

Plum Tart
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
1 egg
2 lbs firm, ripe plums, pitted and cut into 6 wedges

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Don't have ground almonds?  Grind whatever nut you like in a blender or food processor.

2.  Combine the flour, almonds, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg. Mix, either by hand with a pastry cutter or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.

Looks like wet sand

3.  Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the plums in the pan to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.

So elegant and pretty!

4.  Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the plums. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the plum juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

It was REALLY HARD to not eat this immediately

Oh, and for the record, Gavin has now declared his love for plums.  Both fresh and tarted ones.  Points for this mama!!