Upside Down Plum Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Combine flour, butter, sugar, salt, and zest in a food processor and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add yolks and process just until incorporated and mixture begins to clump.
• Turn mixture out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Smear each portion once with heel of your hand in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather together 2 portions of dough and form into a ball; make another ball with other 2 portions.
• Pat out each ball of dough with floured fingertips into a tart pan, in an even 1/4-inch layer on bottom and up sides (about 1/8 inch above rim). Chill 30 minutes, or until firm.
• Make filling while shells chill:
• Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add plums and lemon juice and toss to coat. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, or until juicy.
• Assemble and bake tarts:
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Arrange plum halves, skin sides down, in tart shells, overlapping in a rosette pattern (see photo, opposite). Halve any remaining plums lengthwise and randomly tuck in between plum halves in tarts. Pour all juices from bowl over plums.
• Bake tarts in middle of oven 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375°F. Cover tarts loosely with foil and bake until plums are tender and juices are bubbling and slightly thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Brush warm juices in tart over plums. (Juices will continue to thicken as tarts cool.) Cool tarts completely in pans on a rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degree. Cut out four 4-inch circles frompuff pastry, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat butter and sugar in a 12-inch saute panover medium heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts. Addplums and salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until plums beginto soften, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and addbrandy. Return to heat, and swirl pan until alcohol cooks off,about 1 minute.
• Divide plums, cut sides down, and pan juices among four10-ounce ramekins. Top each with a puff pastry circle, andbake until edges are bubbling and tops are golden, about40 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully turn out intoshallow bowls, and serve each with a dollop of sour cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry into an 18-inch square. Trim into a 13-inch circle and cut a small X in center to vent. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze 20 minutes.
• In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with sugar and salt; place plums, cut side down, in a single, snug layer.
• Return to heat, bring to a rapid simmer, and cook, undisturbed, 7 minutes. Remove from heat and top with pastry. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thickened, about 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack, 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.
• Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.
• Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.
• Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and honey in heavy medium skillet over low heat until butter melts and sugar and honey blend in, forming thick, smooth sauce. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Arrange plums in overlapping concentric circles atop sauce.
• Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large bowl until light. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, mixing just until blended. Spoon batter evenly over plums. Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 30 minutes.
• Using knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Place platter atop cake pan. Invert cake; place platter on work surface. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently lift off pan. Serve cake warm with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Cut 15-inch round from heavy-duty foil. Line 9-inch glass pie plate with foil round, leaving 2 inches overhanging rim of plate. Spread butter over foil lining. Place pecan halves, rounded sides down, on butter. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and corn syrup; drop by small spoonfuls evenly over pecans and foil.
• In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
• Heat oven to 450°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; ease into pie plate over pecans and brown sugar mixture.
• In medium bowl, mix filling ingredients; pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Roll other round of pastry into 12-inch round. Fold into fourths; cut slits so steam can escape. Place over filling and unfold; seal and flute as desired. Turn up overhanging foil to catch juices and to prevent crust from excessive browning. Bake 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool 5 minutes. Turn foil away from pastry. Turn pie upside down onto heatproof serving plate; peel off foil. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base of a deep 20cm springform cake tin. Combine the butter with 50g of the light brown soft sugar and spread onto the base of the lined tin. Arrange the plum wedges on top in concentric circles.
• Tip the buttermilk, vanilla, oil, remaining sugar and eggs into a large bowl and beat for 1-2 mins using a fork or whisk to break up the eggs. Tip in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix until you have a smooth batter. Carefully pour this on top of the plums, then put in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hr until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin completely, then remove from the tin and invert onto a board or serving plate.