Rustic Plum Crostata With Lemon Thyme

By Melissa Clark

Published September 13, 2011

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
5(214)
Comments
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Whether you call it a crostata, a galette or a rustic fruit tart, this juicy, messy confection has a charm that lies with its flavors rather than its looks. It hits the same luscious, buttery, jammy notes as a fruit pie, but instead of being neatly trimmed, crimped and latticed, it features hasty folds and raggedy edges: perfectly acceptable points of style. Unlike jewel-like tarts crowned with perfect fruits, crostatas do just as well with weeping, bruised specimens, as long as you cut out any obviously funky bits. And crostatas are easy to improvise. You can use whatever fruit you have, making this a handy recipe to pull out when the result of your farmers’ market shopping exuberance begins to wrinkle and fade.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

  • ⅓ cup (40 grams) whole-wheat flour

  • ½ cup (100 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar

  • ½ teaspoon (2 grams) plus a pinch fine sea salt

  • 1 large egg

  • Heavy cream

  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 3 cups sliced and pitted ripe sugar plums or mix of other plums about 1 ½ pounds before pitting

  • 1 ½ tablespoons (22 grams) cornstarch

  • 1 small bunch lemon thyme (or use 1 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

40 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 269 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 127 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 21 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together the flours, 1 tablespoon sugar and ½ teaspoon salt until blended. In a measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, and add just enough cream to get to ⅓ cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.

  2. Step 2

    Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse to break up the butter. Do not over-process; you need lima-bean-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture over the dough and pulse until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs.

  3. Step 3

    Put the dough on the counter and knead to make one uniform piece. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours or up to 3 days.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch round (it can be ragged). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and chill while preparing the filling.

  5. Step 5

    Toss together the plums, all but a tablespoon of the remaining sugar, a pinch of salt and the cornstarch. Pile fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 ½-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry with cream. Sprinkle remaining sugar on top, with the thyme.

  6. Step 6

    Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Remove the thyme branches (some leaves will cling; you want this). Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
214 user ratings
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Comments

Genny

I've made this many times, using 1 stick of butter for the dough, and 3 oz sugar (6 Tbs) for the plums and adding lemon zest to them. I've also taken to adding some freshly ground pepper. I bake on parchment paper, at 425 for 25 minutes, cover with foil, and reduce temperature to 375, and continue baking 15-20 minutes. Mixing pears with the plums is also nice.

jmee

p.s. I've got a weird fear of my food processor so made the dough by hand and it worked out fine.

A

I've made this with cherry tomatoes (slice in half) atop a bed of onions that have been sauteed.

Kris

Has anyone added the lemon thyme to the dough? I grow it in my garden and read that it’s good in scones which made me think it could be good in the dough. Thoughts?

PABlues

@Kris so I tried your idea and added in the dough for the crust in a peach version of this sand lemon. It was interesting but if I’d do it again, I’d prefer that savory note proximal to the peaches rather than added to the crust. Otherwise it was a noce change from my usual lies in the summer. Next peach version I might add a little nutmeg.

Liz

I love a recipe like this the sets out the concept and gives you permission to be imperfect. I read it through, then a couple of days later I just did a lazy person's version with what I had: some leftover store-bought pie crust, three very soft plums, some sugar and cornstarch. I didn't do any math but just guessed on amounts and timing for my smaller sized tart based on a fuzzy memory of reading this. I thought it might be a disaster, but it was absolutely delicious!

Peter

Too sour. I tried a plum and thought it was pretty sweet before I made it, but the tarte needed more sugar. I could correct it by putting ice cream on it, but you shouldn’t have to do so. Also the crust is too dry and cracked when I tried to fold it over. I’ll add a bit more cream to the dough next time and a good deal more sugar to the plums.

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