Dorie Greenspan makes perfect desserts. Her book, Baking Chez Moi, is essentially a dessert bible. I got a lovely batch of fresh plums from my CSA and knew that Dorie would have something plum-based in her book and this plum gratin was the answer. So easy, so delicious, and endlessly tweak-able based on what kind of fruit and nut combination you want to use (the original recipe is for raspberries and pistachios; but I really enjoy the plum and almond variation). Would be good with ice cream or whipped cream fresh out of the oven, or with a few spoons of plain Greek yogurt for breakfast the next morning.
Ingredients
Fruit:2 1/2 cups fresh plums, washed, pitted, and cubed1 lemon, juiced2 teaspoons sugar
Almond Cream:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature⅔ cup sugar¾ cup ground almonds or almond meal2 teaspoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon cornstarch (I accidentally put 2 teaspoons in, but it turned out fine!)1 large egg2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare almond cream: In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes more. Add the ground almonds, flour, and cornstarch and beat until the mixture is smooth once again. Drop in the egg and beat for a minute or so, until it is thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate for an hour.
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the plums in a bowl and squeeze the juice of a lemon over them. Add the sugar, mix everything together and let sit, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until a little syrup has developed.
Spread fruit evenly over the bottom of a 9" pie plate. Spoon almond cream on top and use a spatula to gently smooth the cream evenly over the fruit.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the gratin is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Serve at room temperature. (Also tastes good directly from the fridge the next day!)
Prepare almond cream: In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes more. Add the ground almonds, flour, and cornstarch and beat until the mixture is smooth once again. Drop in the egg and beat for a minute or so, until it is thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate for an hour.
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the plums in a bowl and squeeze the juice of a lemon over them. Add the sugar, mix everything together and let sit, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until a little syrup has developed.
Spread fruit evenly over the bottom of a 9" pie plate. Spoon almond cream on top and use a spatula to gently smooth the cream evenly over the fruit.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the gratin is golden and the fruit is bubbling. Serve at room temperature. (Also tastes good directly from the fridge the next day!)
Ugh, there is some formatting error that I can't fix! That's why the ingredients don't appear in a list.
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