Dark Plum and Hazelnut Tart

One deep 10” tart – use a tart pan with a removable bottom

Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 4 Tbsp hazelnut flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill version)

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 8 Tbsp (one stick) cold unsalted butter

• 1 egg yolk and 2 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

• 6-8 plums, halved, pits removed and each sliced into six pieces

• 2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed, finely chopped

• 6 Tbsp hazelnut flour

• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

• ½ cup white sugar

• Zest of one lime

• 2 large eggs, room temperature and slightly beaten

• 2 tsp vanilla paste

1)     For the crust (shell):  Whisk together the flours and salt.  With a box grater, grate the one stick of butter over the dry mix. With your fingers, mix the dry and butter together until no large clumps of butter remain.  In a small bowl, whisk together the yolk and water and add to the dry mix.  With your fingers, gather the dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for thirty minutes.

2)     Roll the chilled pastry to 1/8” thickness and gently ease into your tart pan (with a removable bottom) leaving a 1/2” overhang.  Prick the bottom of the crust shell with a fork. Chill the shell again for another 15 minutes while your oven heats to 350 degrees.

3)     Bake the shell for 25-30 minutes until golden.  Remove from the oven and trim the top to be even with the top of the tart pan.

4)     While the shell bakes, prep your plums by halving them, removing their pits and then slicing each plum into six portions.

5)     Toast your hazelnuts, rub them together to remove the skins and then pulse a few times in a food processor to grind until fine.

6)     In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the ground hazelnuts

7)     In a standing mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and zest of the one lime.  Turn the mixer to low and add the beaten eggs and vanilla. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the dry mix until smooth.  Spread the frangipane evenly in the baked shell. Place the plum slices in a circular pattern over the frangipane, pressing down very slightly.

8)     Bake the tart for roughly 35 minutes until the frangipane is set and golden.

9)     Cool the tart at least one hour on a wire rack before easing the tart out of the pan.