Small purple plums packed tightly in a buttery crust, topped with crumbly streusel and baked until the juices bubble. The Alsatian tart of late summer, made with the Italian prune plums sold in Canada from late August.
I'm Alsatian, and tarte aux quetsches marks the end of summer at home: every bakery and every family makes it in September. In Canada, the Italian prune plums sold at the same time of year are the closest thing to quetsches.
An Alsatian tart for plum season
A pastry crust packed with halved quetsches, small oval prune plums that are firmer, less juicy and more tart than round plums. In Alsace they're baked on a layer of ground almonds or semolina that soaks up the juice, and sometimes topped with streusel, as here.
Finding plums that don't flood the crust
Round plums, the kind sold all summer, are too juicy: they flood the crust. Look for Italian prune plums, small, oval and dusty purple, from late August into early fall.
If all you find are round plums, double the ground almonds to 60 g and bake 5 minutes longer, until the juices bubble thickly between the fruit. The tart will be softer, but it won't be soggy.
Making it in Canada
The 2 French ingredients, and what to buy for them in Canada.
Quetsches d'Alsace→Italian prune plums
Italian prune plums are the same kind of plum as quetsches: small, oval and firm, with a stone that pulls away cleanly. Round plums are too juicy and make the crust soggy.
🛒 Labelled 'Italian prune plums', 'prune plums' or 'prunes italiennes'. IGA sells them loose in Quebec, and Voilà by Sobeys lists 454 g packs. Late summer to early fall only.
A French pâte brisée is made with butter. Tenderflake frozen pie shells, the brand in most freezers, are made with lard or with vegetable shortening depending on the box, and they're deep pie shells, not a flat tart case: 800 g of plums won't fit. The butter pastry below takes 10 minutes plus 30 minutes in the fridge.
🛒 Want it ready-made? Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (400 g, two rolled crusts) unroll flat into a tart pan; they're made with lard, so they taste less of butter. At Walmart and Loblaws.
Good to know: Italian prune plums freeze very well: halve, pit and freeze them on a tray in September for a tart in winter. Frozen pitted prune plums are hard to find in supermarkets, so freezing your own is the surest way to get them out of season.
Ready to cook?
Alsatian Plum Tart
Tarte aux quetsches
Small purple plums packed tightly in a buttery crust, topped with crumbly streusel and baked until the juices bubble. The Alsatian tart of late summer, made with the Italian prune plums sold in Canada from late August.
Prep time
40 min
Cook time
45 min
Resting time
1 hr
Total time
2 hr 25 min
Servings
8
Chill the pastry for 30 minutes before rolling, then cool the baked tart at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Ingredients
Original recipe: 8 servings.
Instructions
Make the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the yolk and water and press together. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Line the pan. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll the pastry 3 mm thick and line a 24–26 cm tart pan. Prick the base and sprinkle with the ground almonds.
Fill. Stand the plum halves almost upright, cut side up, leaning on each other like roof tiles, packed tightly in circles from the outside in.
Make the streusel. Rub the flour, butter and sugar together until it forms small lumps. Scatter over the plums.
Bake. Bake on the lowest rack 40–45 minutes, until the streusel is golden, the juices bubble and the crust is browned underneath.
Finish. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar while hot. Let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
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Notes
Make ahead: the pastry keeps 2 days in the fridge, or freeze the lined pan for up to a month and fill it straight from the freezer, adding 5 minutes to the bake.
With plums you froze yourself, thaw and drain them in a sieve for an hour first.
Best the day it's baked. Keeps 2 days at room temperature, loosely covered. Serve lukewarm with whipped cream.
You can skip the streusel or the cinnamon sugar; both versions are traditional.
Course: Desserts · Cuisine: French · Adapted for Canadian kitchens
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