hazelnut plum crumb tart
There are few paths that led to this recipe but the main one is that it instantly reminded me of the kind of crumb pies I remember , not the kind with a crumble topping but ones with a crust also composed of pressed crumbs. And guys, I love a buttery, flaky, ethereal pie crust woven over cherries and bronzed in the oven as much as the next person, but the idea of choosing it over a crumbly composite of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and sometimes nuts is pure madness. But the filling gave me pause — a custard? a custard that suspends fruit? How odd, right? Or delicious? I went back and forth over the odd-versus-delicious line for the better part of a decade before deciding to finally make it this week. A decade. This recipe was actually published in a 1999 Martha Stewart Living. I was living in Washington D.C., dating a terrible idea and trying to figure out how I could find a place in New York that didn’t charge more than $600/month rent. This recipe is , people.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients — the other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 10 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Plum | 1 medium (66g) | 30 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Hazelnut | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), chilled, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
- 1/3 cup (1 3/4 ounces of 49 grams) hazelnuts
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 pound ripe but firm plums (about 4 standard black ones or 12 smaller Italian plums; I used a mix of both)
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Grated nutmeg, optional