THIS IS JUST TO SAY…Plum Tart is a taste treat recreated from my past, a humble childhood treat originally fashioned from scraps of leftover pastry sprinkled with sugar, baked crisp and topped while still hot from the oven with a spoonful of homemade plum preserves. Close your eyes, take a bite of Plum Tart – a grown up version of little jewel from the kitchen. From the archives my beloved Plum Tart, a true little Jewel.
THIS IS JUST TO SAY
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
William Carlos Williams
Plums, the most delicious fruit celebrated in this poem from the familiar favorite childhood book Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle, were abundant in my Grandmother’s garden – so abundant that jars and jars of plum preserves could be produced without any notice of the many ripe plums I would snatch from the trees, either by climbing on a stool or using a stick to dislodge the luscious fruit for my avail. Bijouxs Plum Tart is a recreation of a taste from the past, simple and humble, yet as delicious as the fruit itself.
The recipe, if I dare call it one, involves a simple slab of pie dough rolled into a large, rough edged circle, topped with cut ripe plums, then folding the edges of the dough in wide pleats over the filled tart with a sprinkle of sugar and baked until golden brown and crisp. But to fully recreate the aforementioned childhood treat, the baked tart is brushed with an ample dose warmed red currant jelly, which replicates the fresh plum preserves that topped the pastry scraps.
Enjoy the summer!
