Sounds fancy, but comes together easily! This plum tart is a favorite dessert at the Howard house. You can make it with any seasonal fruit, ideally plums or peaches. The dough is buttery, flaky, and oh-so-forgiving. And it comes together in ten seconds in a food processor. If you are pressed for time or in the midst of busy family dinner preparations, use a store-bought prepared pie crust and enjoy this home-baked dessert fresh from the oven in half the time.

-MIHC Team

Ingredients

Pâté Brisée

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch chunks
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup ice water

Filling

• ¼ cup plus ⅓ cup sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons ground almonds
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ pounds plums or peaches, halved, pitted, and cut into wedges
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits
• ½ cup good-quality plum, apricot, or raspberry preserves, strain if chunky or seedy

Directions

Step 1 (Pâté Brisée)

Place the butter, salt, and flour in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be in small pebble-like pieces. Add ice water and process for an additional 5 seconds, just until the dough comes together (the butter should still be visible).

Step 2 (Pâté Brisée)

Remove the dough and gather it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-18-inch oval, 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a large, heavy baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.

Step 3 (Filling)

In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Spread this mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge. Arrange the plum (or peach) wedges on top and dot with the butter. Sprinkle all but 1 teaspoon of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. Sprinkle the border with the reserved 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Step 4 (Bake the Galette)

Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for about 50 minutes, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is browned. If any juices have leaked onto the baking sheet, slide a knife under the galette to release it from the sheet. Brush the preserves over the hot fruit; brush some up onto the crust, too, if desired. Let the galette cool to about room temperature before serving.