Spiced Plum Marzipan Tart

Simple Tart Filled With Almond Paste & Spiced Plums

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The simple, delicious things of Fall. Plums to me are totally understated in my opinion and I absolutely cannot get enough of them. Whether that's giving them a swift sauté in the skillet and serving them over oatmeal or pancakes or shaking them up with some spices and brown sugar to make a cocktail, I will never get tired of them (and the season is too short to get tired of them anyways!). Today's post was inspired by my grandma's Zwetschgenkuchen, which is a simple yeast dough cake covered with plums and baked on a sheet pan, then served cut into squares. Instead of a yeast dough however, I made a simple flaky, buttery pie crust instead (using my hands only and following "Inspired Taste's" fool proof pie crust recipe), and then added a layer of marzipan almond paste (which I purchased at Whole Foods) and brown sugar and spice marinated plums. The recipe is so simple, you'll want to keep this recipe close and make this on repeat and once plums exit the season, substitute with apricots, apples, cherries, you name it. That's the beauty of tarts.

Spiced Plum Cocktail

Plums find their ways into drinks, too! Serbians are fanatics of Slivovitz - a plum brandy that accompanies a meal either before or after dinner. Bistra makes a really great Slivovitz that I used for my spiced plum cocktail today. I used the same spices as for the spiced plum tart and created a rim with it, cut up some plums, covered them in more sugar and spice and shook it all together with the brandy in a shaker and then strained it into a martini glass, and simply finished it with ginger beer for some zing and sweetness. Complete this form to find out about availability of Bistra Slivovitz plum brandy in your area.

Spiced Slivotini

Next Up: Individual Onion Pies

Fall in the Trier region of Germany (where I grew up!) calls for a rustic onion pie and Federweißer - the latter being a sweet, young white wine that vintners sell locally at their wineries for a short period of time in the Fall. It's simply the best combination and you will want to not miss the recipes for the individual onion pies coming up as well as a wine cocktail to go along with it (since Federweißer is not easy to find in the US). To make sure you're not missing the recipe (or any other recipes in the future), your doctor advises to subscribe to receive my weekly emails with new German recipes!   I promise, it's what's best for you!

Recipe for 1 Rectangular Spiced Plum & Marzipan Tart

• 1 pie crust (either make it yourself or buy - I used this amazing recipe)
• 3 to 4 plums, depending on size
• 1 7 oz package of marzipan almond paste (You will probably end up using about half of this for the tart. If you would like a great way to use those leftovers, try these amazing baked apples!)
• 3 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• whipped cream for serving (optional)

You will also need: 

• Rectangular 14 x 4.5 inch Tart Dish
• Pastry Brush
• Aluminum Foil
• A bag of Dried Beans (For Prebaking the Crust)

1. Prepare the pie crust according to instructions, prepare the tart dish with nonstick spray or by rubbing on butter and then dusting with flour, so the crust doesn't stick.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Cover the tart dish with crust dough and perforate the crust by using a fork. Cover with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans, then refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake (with beans still in the dish) for 20 minutes.
5. Remove foil and beans, make an egg wash by whisking together one egg and a tablespoon of water, coat a thin layer onto the crust with a pastry brush, and bake for 3 more minutes until shiny. Remove from oven.
6. Roll out the marzipan (I simply rubbed some butter underneath to keep it from sticking to my countertop), cut out a 14 by 4.5 inch piece and lay onto the prebaked crust.
7. Wash plums, cut in half to remove stone, then cut into slivers (I got about 10 to 12 slivers out of each plum). In a medium sized bowl, combine sugar and spices, then add in the plum slivers and toss to coat. (You can also add in a shot of spiced rum for that extra warm flavor.)
8. Reduce heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 50 minutes or until plums are softened and the crust is a golden brown.
9. If desired, serve with vanilla bean gelato and fresh whipped cream (my favorite way!). Oh, and don't forget your coffee! Guten Appetit!