Plum Almond Tartlets Recipes

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine butter or oil, confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla bean seeds in a stand mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. Scrape down sides of bowl, add the egg and then the flour, and continue mixing until smooth. Remove dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic and refrigerate, about 1 hour, or until firm.
• Make the almond filling: Grind together the blanched almonds and flour in a food processor until they form a textured almond flour.
• Combine butter or oil, confectioners' sugar and salt in a stand mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. Scrape down sides of bowl, add egg and egg yolk, and continue mixing until mixture comes together and is homogeneous, about 2 minutes. Add almond mixture all at once, and mix until batter just comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and set aside for 10 minutes. Knead dough to loosen it, then pat together into a ball again. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12- to 13-inch round using a floured rolling pin. Quickly transfer dough to an 11-inch pie plate or tart shell, trimming the edges as needed. Place the lined shell in the freezer until frozen.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove shell from the freezer, line with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake crust for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to color. Remove the weights and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• While the crust cools, cut plums into 1/4-inch wedges.
• Using an offset spatula, spread cooled tart shell with the almond cream. Starting at the outside of the pan, arrange plums in a circle on top so all the pieces overlap. Turn plums the opposite way for the second circle. Fill the center with the remaining plums or another fruit if you wish.
• Sprinkle a few pinches of turbinado sugar over plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until almond cream is puffed and golden brown and the plums are softened.

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Blend together flour, salt, butter, and shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Macerate plums while dough chills:
• Toss plums with 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Prepare filling and make tartlets:
• Pulse almonds with flour, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a food processor until very finely chopped, then add butter, egg, and Amaretto (if using), pulsing until just blended.
• Roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out 6 (5-inch) rounds and fit each round into a tartlet pan (don't trim). Prick bottoms all over with a fork and chill shells until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Drain plums, discarding juices. Divide almond filling among tartlet shells and arrange plums over it. Put pans on a baking sheet and bake until crust and filling are golden and plums are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool tartlets completely in pans on a rack before unmolding. Just before serving, dust with confectioners sugar.