Plum Tart with a Sweet Pastry Crust

Yield one 12 inch Tart
Preheat Oven to 400 Bake or 375 Convection

Sweet Pastry Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
zest of 3 lemons
2 eggs, room temp
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Plum Tart Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of Italian Prune Plums, pitted and cut in 1/4 inch slices.
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Egg Wash Ingredients:
2 yolks
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Garnish
1 Tablespoon white large granulated sanding sugar

Sweet Pastry Method:
1. In a stand up mixer cream the butter with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
2. Add the sugar, salt and lemon zest; beat until well blended.
3. Add one egg at a time, incorporating fully before adding the other.
4. Add the flour all at once and mix on low, only until the flour is incorporated.
5. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap, pressing the dough into a flat disk.
6. Allow dough to rest for 2 hrs in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap.

Plum Tart Filling Method:
1. Place the sliced plums in a large bowl, Toss with remaining ingredients and set aside.

Assembly of Plum Tart.
1. Remove discs of tart dough from the fridge. Unwrap one of them and dust well with flour as well as the surface you will roll the dough on.
2. Using a heavy rolling pin roll the dough out to a 15" circle. If the dough is too hard, allow it to warm up a bit before you attempt to roll it out.
3. I use a flat long Icing spatula to slip under the circle of rolled dough and loosen it from the the rolling surface.
4. Fold dough gently in half and then again in half to form a quarter.
5. Lift the dough into a prepared tart pan; greased and floured.
6. Place the dough in one quarter of the pan and gently unfold to half and then again to the whole pan. Gently press the dough into the edges of the tart pan forming the walls of the tart. If the dough is a bit unruly , relax this dough is very forgiving. It is a type of cookie dough so you can just press it in and fix a hole of a side as needed with the scraps.
7. Make sure there are no holes or leaks for the plum juices to seep through the crust, or you will never get the tart out of the pan.
8. Gently scoop the plum filling into the tart shell, pressing it to a uniform thickness.
9. Roll out he remaining disc of dough and cut and shape of dough your heart desires. I used scalloped circles for my tart.
10. Place the circles in a pattern on the top of the tart.
11. Combine the egg wash ingredients in a small bowl and gently brush the shapes with egg wash, careful to not drip any on the plums..it won't look as pretty.
12. Sprinkle top of crust with large granulated sanding sugar
13. Place tart in a preheated oven 400 Regular Bake/ 375 convection and bake for 40 minutes, rotating after 20 minutes.
14. Roll out remaining scraps of dough and bake until golden brown and dust with confectioners sugar when cool.


Serving suggestions
Allow Tart to cool before slicing. Serve with Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream. Enjoy!