A Lazy Girl's Guide to a Plum, Blueberry, and Lemon Curd Tart
A Saturday Short on a shameless shortcut to a fabulous summer dessert and the discovery of a fine weed.
Hello everyone and happy August! A big rain broke the heat and watered the garden. South Park made life fun again. Been a good week! What better way to enjoy these rare days than to make an easy tart? And, while you’re at it, please send America Eats! your love through the little heart above.
And now, our short story….
I found these sweet little cherry plums at the fruit stand the other day. Two-thirds of a pint of blueberries bought at a farmer’s market remained on the refrigerator’s bottom shelf.
A thin layer of lemon curds would perfectly off-set the plum’s sweetness. A puff pastry crust would add a perfect airy delicacy.
Let’s make a tart!
Problem is I don’t have air conditioning in my kitchen. It’s 98 degrees and this is at 11 a.m. Yet, the plum, blueberry, lemon curd tart would not be denied, especially since I already told my husband about it and he is now having visions of having a slice with ice cream on the side.
But there are grave obstacle. Fresh lemon curd involves standing over a hot stove and whisking for at least 10 minutes. Puff pastry despises heat and the multiple requirements of rolling and folding would be for aught.
Still, a tart—or something like it—must be baked. And so I cheated.
Ingredients
1 package of Pillsbury frozen pastry dough left over from Christmas
1 11 ounce jar Wilkin & Sons Tiptree Lemon Curd
About 1 pound cherry plums
1 pint blueberries
Preheat oven 400 degrees.
Take out one sheet of puff pastry to defrost. Unfold on a piece of parchment.
Begin to pit the plums. After several unsuccessful attempts to accomplish two perfect halves, give up and do the best you can chopping the flesh off the stones.
By this time the puff pastry has begun to melt. Return the dough to the freezer. Check after five minutes or so: you don’t want the dough to be slightly stiff but also pliant.
Have all your ingredients at hand for this next step:
Take the dough from the freezer. Quickly fold the edges over to form a nice border. Spread a thin layer of lemon curd across the pastry. Arrange the chopped plums over the curd then scatter the blueberries on top. For an extra treat, roll some of the blueberries in sugar and tuck them among the fruit.
Bake for 20 minutes. Check to see if the edges are a nice toasty brown. The filling should be bubbling. Cook another five minutes if necessary.
Take out of the oven and cool completely. Or serve right away to impatient guests.
One sheet of puff pastry is enough for two people or one selfish person. Double recipe if you use two sheets.
Today’s Market Find
Puslane!
I had no idea what this was and the Middle Eastern woman who was picking through the mound did not have time to tell me. I bought a big bunch anyway.
If the plant looks familiar that’s because in America it’s long been considered a weed. Smarter countries around the world prize it as a highly nutritious crunchy green noted for its tart, slight lemony, sharpness.
I’m going to send you over to Morag Gamble who can tell you a lot more about puslane and how to use it. It’s well worth a good market search.
Two more things…
How about you
Tell us about your cooking cheats
Looks delicious!
These days I cook at our local community dining room, we make about 150-170 meals in a morning for dining in, out, homebound and other needy folk. We work with a preplanned menu but often have to get creative with ingredients since most are donated. Turns out, ranch dressing stands in for a surprising range of ingredients, we've used it in everything from beef stroganoff to ratatouille to cole slaw!