Thursday, August 9, 2007

Brioche Pluot Tart

This tart should be served on the day it is baked. You can use a number of different fruits, apricots, plums, pluots. Most stone fruits would work with this.

Ingredients: Brioche
1.5 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. sugar
Pinch of salt
5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients: Filling
7-9 large pluots (plums or apricots would do as well, I used both pluots and plums - though pluots were the majority)
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped walnut (or other nut, but not peanut)
3 Tbs. sugar
1/4 cup jam (I used plum because I used pluots, if you use apricots, use apricot jam and so on)

Method: Brioche
1. Put the yeast and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until the yeast dissolves.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix with a dough hook on low speed for 2 min.

3. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 7-10 min (every now and then scrape down the sides of the bowl and the hook with a rubber spatula).

4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place to rise for 30-40 min.

5. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it slap into the bowl.

6. Cover again and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. In this time, check the dough every half hour, and slap the dough down (you want it to stop rising).

7. If you have the time, leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

Method: Filling and Assembly
1. Butter a 9 inch tart pan.

2. Press the chilled dough into the pan. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min.

3. While it is in the refrigerator prepare the filling. Cut the pluots into slices (if you have a plum or apricot the is easily removed from its pit, simple cut it in half - I find that pluots for the most part cling, and so halving is imposable).

4. Toss the chopped nuts with the sugar.

5. Remove the tart pan from the fridge and push and press the dough up the sides of the pan.

6. Spread the jam onto the dough, and then place the pluot pieces in concentric circles on top. Sprinkle the sugar and nut mix on top.

7. Place on a baking sheet and let it rise in a warm place for 30 min.

8. Meanwhile center a rack and preheat the oven to 425F.

9. Uncover the tart and bake for around 20 min (check after 15 min - you don't want it too brown).

10. Place a foil tent over the tart and bake for another 10-15min (until the fruit juices are bubbling, and the crust firm and a wonderful brown).

11. Transfer the tart to a rack to cool.

12. After 5 min remove the tart pan.

13. Serve after at least 45 min of cooling time.

Once again, the wonderful Dorie Greenspan, pp. 54-5.

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