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 Plums are one of the most diverse single fruits in appearance.
There are red, yellow, green, blue-purple and black plums, and a beautiful
range of shades in between. Inside, there’s variation too, with
flesh that might be yellow, amber, red or almost black. Plums don’t
disappoint on flavor variety, either - they have a range of complex sweet-and-tart
flavors to match their many colors.
Most
of the plums sold in the U.S. and Canada are Japanese plums
(Prunus salicina) and are rounded in shape. Some of them
have a small tip at the blossom end. This plum, like the
peach, is native to China.
The
first Japanese plums came to California from Japan in 1870,
but the fruit got its biggest boost from the well-known horticulturist
Luther Burbank. Burbank imported about a dozen plum seeds
from Japan in 1885 and began breeding them. Nearly all of
California’s plum varieties can be traced to those
developed by Luther Burbank, and some of his varieties, like
the Santa Rosa, are still grown in California.
European
plums (Prunus domestica) are oval- or teardrop-shaped, have
purple to blue skin and are smaller than Japanese plums.
Early settlers brought this plum to the United States. They’re
available for a short time in the late summer. Dried plums,
also known as prunes, are made from these European plums.
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Mediterranean Plum Tart
Fruit
makes a great dessert, whether all on its own, sliced
and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, or in a
full-fledged cinnamon-and-nutmeg scented peach pie
with ice cream. Some people are happy with a sweet,
juicy piece of fruit all by itself; others want a little
more dessert to their dessert. This plum tart strikes
a happy medium. Sweet but simple, it uses pre-made
phyllo dough for ease and goes together quickly. |
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Ingredients |
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9 |
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sheets phyllo dough |
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Butter flavored no stick cooking
spray |
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1 |
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tablespoon sugar |
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3 |
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cups sliced fresh California plums
(about 1 pound) |
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1 |
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cup sugar
(adjust according to tartness of plums) |
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3 |
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tablespoons cornstarch |
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1 |
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teaspoon allspice |
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Makes 6 to 8 servings |
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Preparation
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Lay 1 sheet phyllo across pan; spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the sugar. Lay a second phyllo sheet diagonally across first; spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with another ½ teaspoon sugar. Continue layering 4 more phyllo sheets, spoke fashion, to form a circle, spraying with cooking spray and sprinkling sugar between each sheet. Carefully roll up edges toward center to form a 9-inch tart shell with a rim about 1 inch high. Spray rim with cooking spray.
Toss plums with mixture of sugar, cornstarch and allspice. Arrange in tart shell.
Lay 1 of the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo on work surface, spray with cooking spray and fold in half crosswise. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of phyllo, stacking on top of first and spraying between all layers.
With sharp knife or scissors, cut remaining sheets of phyllo into six 1 ½-inch wide strips (discard scraps). Arrange strips over plums to form lattice top. Trim edges. Sprinkle tart with additional sugar; bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and filling is bubbly (cover with foil as needed to prevent over-browning). Cut into wedges and serve warm.
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How
can you tell when plums are ripe?
When
they’re ready-to-eat, plums will feel firm and a
bit springy to the touch – a gentle squeeze with
your palm is a good way to tell. Most plums have tangy
skin and sweet flesh; as they ripen and soften, the skin
usually becomes less tangy and the fruit becomes sweeter.
Don’t just check the skin color - plums can be almost
any color when ready-to-eat, from red and black to purple,
green and yellow.
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