Damson Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Pulse flour, butter, and confectioners sugar in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and pulse just until a dough forms.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Form each half into a 4-inch square (about 1 inch thick) and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze until solid, at least 2 hours.
• Make compote while pastry freezes:
• Bring whole plums, sugar, wine, and bay leaf to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat, covered, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved (be careful juices don't boil over). Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until plums fall apart, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and chill, uncovered, until cold, then cover. Discard pits and bay leaf, then add a little confectioners sugar to taste if desired.
• Bake pastry:
• Coarsely grate pastry from one frozen square into tartlet pans, dividing it evenly. (Reserve remaining dough for another use.) Press dough flakes into tartlet pans to line bottoms and sides evenly. Prick bottoms all over with a fork, then freeze tartlets until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• Put tartlets in a shallow baking pan and put in oven. Turn oven temperature down to 400°F and bake until shells are golden all over, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Transfer tartlet pans to a rack to cool completely, then remove shells from pans.
• Make cream filling:
• Put cream in a large bowl, then scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream. Beat in sugar and zest with an electric mixer until cream just holds stiff peaks. Fold in about 2 tablespoons plum compote, then divide cream among tartlet shells. Serve topped with some of remaining compote (you will have a lot left over).

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the damsons into a pan with the sugar, butter and sloe gin if using (or a splash of water if not) and heat gently until the damsons start to give off their juices. Tip into the base of a large shallow gratin dish (about 25cm long) and stir through the apple slices.
• Put all the crumble ingredients into a food processor with a pinch of salt, and using the pulse button, whizz until the mixture just starts to clump together. Don't whizz for too long or the mixture will stick together too much. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flour using your hands and then stir in the other ingredients.
• Scatter the crumble over the damsons and bake in the oven for 30-40 mins until golden brown. Leave for about 15 mins before serving with custard or cream. Remember to warn everyone about the stones!

Steps:

• Place flour, butter & salt into a large bowl. Rub butter into flour with fingertips to resemble FINE breadcrumbs. (work quickly before butter becomes soft).
• Add water to mixture using a COLD knife, stir until dough binds together. Add more water (teaspoon at a time) if dough seems to dry.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 15 to 30 minutes.
• For Filling :.
• 1 1/2 pounds Damson Plums.
• 4 oz sugar.
• Directions:.
• Half fill large baking bowl with plums. Sprinkle with sugar. Put rest of plums on top making higher in center.
• Roll or pat out chilled pastry dough larger than circumference of baking bowl. Trim to fit bowl. Press dough around bowl to seal in juices. Use remaining dough to make a trim to go around bowl and place over the dough covering the fruit. Cut several vent holes in top of dough.
• Brush lightly with water. Sprinkle sugar on top of pastry.
• Bake at 400 degree F. in preheated oven for approximately 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a sink full of cool water, rinse and de-stem the plums. Place them in a thick-bottomed pan suitable for slow cooking and deep enough to allow frothing when the plums begin to boil. Add the water and cardamom pods and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. Turn heat to low for a slow simmer and allow the fruit to cook down uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Allow the plums to cool.
• To pit the plums, strain the cooled plums with a colander, pressing the juice out with your hands and collecting it in a large bowl. Pick up the pit-and-fruit slurry in the colander by small handfuls and squeeze the plum pulp and skins gently into the bowl with the syrup, retaining the pits in the palm of your hand and then discarding them.
• Put the plums back into the original pot with the sugar and butter. Cook at a very low simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about 4 hours. To test for adequate development of pectin, drop a spoonful of the jam on a plate and put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes: the mixture should be soft-set and no longer syrupy.
• Ladle the hot jam into hot, sterile jars, wipe the rims clean, place sterile lids on, and tighten the screw caps. Allow the jars to cool to room temperature and check to be sure that each jar has sealed.