Plum and Pecorino Tart
Juicy plum wedges tucked beneath crispy-salty Pecorino Romano streusel—this tart is a fruit-forward stunner. Be sure to grate the cheese finely (too coarse and it won’t melt properly). Italian plums work best, but red or black plums will do, too. Use a 10-inch tart pan for this recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Traditional Pie Dough
- 10 to 12 plums
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to a 12-inch-round. Line tart pan with dough round, pressing it into the fluting. Trim excess dough from top of tart pan and use a fork to pierce dough all over. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, halve and pit plums, then quarter each plum half. In a large mixing bowl, toss plum wedges with almond extract and 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
- Center tart pan on a baking sheet and cover with a sheet of foil. Press foil in and around bottom and sides of pan. Fill foil-lined tart pan with dried beans or rice (to weigh down dough) and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven and carefully remove beans or rice and foil. Return tart crust—still in pan on baking sheet—to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until golden brown. Remove and let cool.
- Arrange plum wedges in concentric circles, overlapping slightly, on top of tart shell until covered.
- In a medium bowl, combine remaining sugar, pecorino, butter, flour, salt, and pepper and mix with fingers until butter forms small pebbles. Spread mixture over plums, return tart to sheet pan, and place in oven.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until plum juices bubble and topping and crust are both a deep golden brown. Cool at least an hour before serving.
Amy Scheuerman
Amy Scheuerman—culture's former web director—spent eight years in North Carolina where she developed a love of barbecue and biscuits before moving up north to get a degree in nutrition. She now works at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
