You never know where friendship will be found. Over twenty years ago I met a retired high school English teacher at a guest ranch in Montana. The ranch is a place where you meet lots of people, enjoy their company for a week, and never see them again. It was different with Benita. We talked a lot about books, and children, and life, and though our politics are diametrically opposed, we still see each other regularly and stay in touch, though she lives in Colorado. I look forward to her clever emails and good suggestions about writing, and when I started this blog she sent me her recipe for a plum tart. I’ve adapted it a bit from her 1978 Gourmet Magazine recipe, and I hope you will give it a try because a real friend is as rare as a four-plum galette: a thing to appreciate. With many thanks to Benita Campbell!
Four Plum Almond Galette
For the Pâte Brisée:
Adapted from a recipe by former White House Chef Roland Mesnier
Serves: makes the dough for one 12-inch galette
Prep time: one hour forty minutes plus at least one hour to refrigerate dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
Directions
- Mix together salt and one tablespoon of water in an electric mixer.
- Add flour and butter, and mix on low until mixture it gritty.
- Add the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, and then add remaining water.
- Mix until dough comes together, no more than two minutes.
- Turn dough onto a floured board and press dough into a 6-8 inch disk.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least one hour. (Dough should keep for several days.)
For the filling:
Adapted from a 1978 Gourmet Magazine recipe.
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: one hour
Ingredients
- Two pounds of plums, pitted and sliced but not peeled (can be assorted or one type of plum)
- 3 tablespoons ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup sugar plus ¼ cup sugar for sprinkling on top of plums
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons of plum or apricot preserves, strained and heated in a small saucepan
Directions
- Take the Pâte Brisée and roll out in a large circle on a floured board.
- In a large bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, ground almonds, and flour, and spread almond mixture across bottom of pastry dough.
- Arrange plum wedges on top, leaving at least two inches of dough open along the outside, and dot plums with small pieces of butter.
- Sprinkle plums with remaining ¼ cup sugar.
- Fold edges over the plums to create a two-inch border.
- With a pastry brush, brush the turned over part of the crust with the strained preserves.
- Bake in 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.
- Allow to cool somewhat before cutting, and garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
