Mirabelle Plum Curd Tartlets with Nutty Crusts

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz
I’ve mentioned before what an abundant garden we have back home in Germany. Among the many fruit and nut trees, there are three types of plums. One is a Mirabelle.  My MIL Fine spends the summer and fall preserving everything than comes from the trees. Before we moved, I spotted several jars of these golden orbs in her cabinet and she lovingly handed one over for me to bake with.
Fine preserves them in water with just a little bit of sugar so they retain their flavor.
Making curd was the first idea that came to mind. I hadn’t made tartlets in awhile so pairing the plums’ sweet deep flavor with a nut studded crust worked perfectly. These tartlets are a fruity nutty delight.

Mirabelle Plum Curd Tartlets with Nutty Crust
For the Plum Curd:
I followed Sasha’s excellent recipe for Starfruit Curd over at Global Table Adventures substituting the Mirabelle plums for the starfruit.
For the Nutty Crust:
Ingredients:
  • 1 stick butter cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup ground almonds
  • 1+1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease tartlet pans.
  • Place sugar, nuts, flour and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined.
  • Add butter and pulse until the butter is worked in and the dough has a crumb texture.
  • Press into pan and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Assemble the Tartlets:
You will need 3 ounces of melted chocolate. I used bittersweet.
  • Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Spoon the custard into the tartlet shells.
  • Place a whole plum in the middle of the tartlet.
  • Drizzle the chocolate over the top. 
Makes 6 tartlets.

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4 comments

The Vanilla Bean Baker September 19, 2011 - 10:35 pm

Your tartlett crust sounds like one I would just love and this Mirabelle plum is a *new to me* one. They look very good and the curd looks like it would be delicious.

Reply
Lauren September 19, 2011 - 10:06 pm

I've always wanted to try Mirabelle plums, but I've never ever seen them for sale. Maybe I just need to buy some land and start an orchard! 😉

Reply
adozeneggs September 19, 2011 - 12:27 pm

Those tarts look amazing. And how nice to have your own supply of such interesting fruits. They look like apricots!

Reply
Joanne September 19, 2011 - 11:46 am

This was definitely the year that I fell in love with curd but I haven't ventured into more out-of-the-norm fruits like plums! How lucky that your MIL preserved these for you. The tarts look delicious.

Reply

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