Italian Plum Tart (Tarte aux Quetsches)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brandy 
• 1  egg yolk 
• 1 cup flour all-purpose
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest grated
• 8 tablespoons butter unsalted cut into 8 pieces
• 3 tablespoons fruit 
• 1.5 pounds plums blue italian
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 cup sugar 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• tart form

Directions

1. To make the crust, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and butter or margarinetogether in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steelblade until crumbled. Then add the egg yolk, and pulse until thedough comes together.
2. Put the dough in the center of an ungreased 9-inch tart pan witha removable bottom. Dust your fingers with flour, and gently pressout the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigeratefor at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and bake the crust for 10 minutes.Reduce the oven to 375 degrees, and bake for another 5 minutes.
4. Remove the crust from the oven, and let cool slightly. Reducethe oven temperature to 350 degrees.
5. Mix the jam with the brandy in a small bowl, and spread over thebottom of the crust. Pit the plums, and cut them into four pieceseach. Starting at the outside, arrange the plums in a circle so thatall the pieces overlap, creating concentric circles that wind into thecenter of the pan.
6. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and lemon zest.
7. Return the tart to the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes, oruntil the crust is golden brown and the plums are juicy.
8. Remove thetart from the oven, sprinkle on the sugar, and serve warm or atroom temperature.
9. Reprinted with permission from Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France by Joan Nathan, © 2010 Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.