Delicious puff pastry tart with plums

About this recipe

Delicious after every meal, and easy to bake using the residual heat in a wood-fired oven. I learned the basic recipe for this tart during my vacation jobs in a patisserie on the Belgian coast. The secret of this tart is its simplicity: a delicious puff pastry base modestly topped with a sweet layer of fruit. This is a version for the wood-fired oven.

Ingredients

• 1 roll of puff pastry, round or square
• 6 blue plums
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 lemon or lime
• 75 g butter
• 2 tablespoons of almond flakes
• 4 tablespoons almond powder
• 2 sprigs of mint
• optional: 1 vanilla pod
• optional: 1 star anise

Preparation

1. Cut the plums in half, remove the pits, and slice them thinly.
2. Place the slices in a jar and add the sugar and the juice of half a lemon or lime. Save the rest of the lemon or lime for the zest later.
3. Optionally, you can scrape out the vanilla pod and add the seeds to the marinade. You can also add the star anise to the plums: this gives a delicious exotic touch.
4. Be sure to let the fruit marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. You can also do this a day in advance.
5. Unroll the puff pastry on the pizza peel (or on a flat metal baking tray) lined with baking paper and sprinkle with the almond powder. The almond powder will absorb any excess moisture from the fruit during baking.
6. Top the pie with the fruit pieces, working in a large spiral toward the center. Don't worry if it looks a little messy; everything will come together nicely in the oven. Avoid the remaining liquid and star anise in the marinade tray.
7. Melt the butter and pour it over the tart, avoiding the edges. Spread another 2-3 spoonfuls of the marinade liquid over the tart.
8. Finish with a few almond flakes.
9. Preheat the oven. This tart is best baked when the oven is no longer flaming. Use the heat shields to cover the coals (or turn the tart several times to avoid too much radiant heat).
10. When the oven reaches around 200-250°, you can bake the tart directly on the stones with puff pastry underneath, or on a metal baking tray. Close the oven tightly so that all the heat is retained.
11. If you are working without heat shields, it is best to turn the tart several times.
12. The tart is ready when the puff pastry edges have risen nicely and turned golden brown.
13. Finish with some mint and lemon or lime zest.