Whole Plum Tart (FAIL)
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Date: 2020-07-08
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Comments and reviews: 9
maryinsanfrancisco
Oh Chef John, you dear, sweet, knucklehead. Apple recipes and techniques work for apples and pears but not so much for stone fruit. Although I could see cherries possibly working in a tarte tatin situation. Plums are waaaaay too watery to work here. I am in the midst of my own plum invasion (think The Trouble With Tribbles episode of Star Trek) so I do applaud your efforts to find something new to do with them. This year we have been blessed with a huge never ending crop of plums and it kind of caught me off guard. The last few years I've been able to make a few pints of jam and that's it but this year I'm making pies, tarts, rustic tarts, crumbles, crisps and enough jam for every neighbor, friend and relative in the Bay Area. So I definitely appreciate you trying something new!
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Oh Chef John, you dear, sweet, knucklehead. Apple recipes and techniques work for apples and pears but not so much for stone fruit. Although I could see cherries possibly working in a tarte tatin situation. Plums are waaaaay too watery to work here. I am in the midst of my own plum invasion (think The Trouble With Tribbles episode of Star Trek) so I do applaud your efforts to find something new to do with them. This year we have been blessed with a huge never ending crop of plums and it kind of caught me off guard. The last few years I've been able to make a few pints of jam and that's it but this year I'm making pies, tarts, rustic tarts, crumbles, crisps and enough jam for every neighbor, friend and relative in the Bay Area. So I definitely appreciate you trying something new!
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Candeeiro
So, I was expecting more of a physical disaster rather than a sensorial (tastewise) disaster, because I could already visualize the excess of moisture that would render. I constantly make this kind of mistake, but that's ok, because you only learn (and teach that to others) from experience how not to do thing in kitchen. I guess you could make a whole plum tart if you cook down the plums BEFORE baking the tart, so it doesn't render too much liquid. Or just use dried prunes reconstituted in simple (or even better, rum) syrup. I can visualize that turning out way better, tastewise (althought it wouldn't look as great as this one did.
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So, I was expecting more of a physical disaster rather than a sensorial (tastewise) disaster, because I could already visualize the excess of moisture that would render. I constantly make this kind of mistake, but that's ok, because you only learn (and teach that to others) from experience how not to do thing in kitchen. I guess you could make a whole plum tart if you cook down the plums BEFORE baking the tart, so it doesn't render too much liquid. Or just use dried prunes reconstituted in simple (or even better, rum) syrup. I can visualize that turning out way better, tastewise (althought it wouldn't look as great as this one did.
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Viraniel
They way that I have been shown by my ex French chef, he was doing a butter and sugar caramel on the bottom, let that cool down in the pan, then add sliced plums so they get rid of water quicker from the inside, standard pastry on top, start on top of the stove for good few minutes on high heat until caramel melts and it starts bubbling on sides to evaporate as much juice as possible. Then standard procedure, into first slightly lower temp oven and last 20 mins at 175 Celsius. I have lots of them at the restaurant and they always came out great.
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They way that I have been shown by my ex French chef, he was doing a butter and sugar caramel on the bottom, let that cool down in the pan, then add sliced plums so they get rid of water quicker from the inside, standard pastry on top, start on top of the stove for good few minutes on high heat until caramel melts and it starts bubbling on sides to evaporate as much juice as possible. Then standard procedure, into first slightly lower temp oven and last 20 mins at 175 Celsius. I have lots of them at the restaurant and they always came out great.
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puggirl415
This is the first video of yours I've seen where you had a fail. Our plums had really bitter skins like this and I do peel them in case the skin is unpleasantly bitter. Those Italian oblong plums are great in a dish like you made or an upside down Italian plum cake is nice too. I thought the caramel looked pretty dark but my chef friends say that home cooks don't take browning far enough most of the time so I wondered if it would be bitter.
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This is the first video of yours I've seen where you had a fail. Our plums had really bitter skins like this and I do peel them in case the skin is unpleasantly bitter. Those Italian oblong plums are great in a dish like you made or an upside down Italian plum cake is nice too. I thought the caramel looked pretty dark but my chef friends say that home cooks don't take browning far enough most of the time so I wondered if it would be bitter.
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Benjamin
One more attempt I believe this could be the world class tart you're after. Uncooked sugar in the carmel after it's done for the needed balance against the bitterness, cornstarch on the fruit, and thicker pastry would be my notes. Or maybe some kind of crumb mixture on the fruit before the pastry layer to act as a buffer to soak up juices in a place you actually want there to be soaked up juices
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One more attempt I believe this could be the world class tart you're after. Uncooked sugar in the carmel after it's done for the needed balance against the bitterness, cornstarch on the fruit, and thicker pastry would be my notes. Or maybe some kind of crumb mixture on the fruit before the pastry layer to act as a buffer to soak up juices in a place you actually want there to be soaked up juices
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Ann
Oh! I HATE bitter flavours in cakes and desserts, I can't even use citrus zest because of its bitterness! So if Chef John, who seems to like citrus zest very much, says that this cake was bitter, then I most certainly, certainly won't try making it for myself! But thanks for showing us how you made your cake - it did look very beautiful! - and explaining where it went wrong!
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Oh! I HATE bitter flavours in cakes and desserts, I can't even use citrus zest because of its bitterness! So if Chef John, who seems to like citrus zest very much, says that this cake was bitter, then I most certainly, certainly won't try making it for myself! But thanks for showing us how you made your cake - it did look very beautiful! - and explaining where it went wrong!
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13thMaiden
Isn't most of the bitterness of a plum in their skin though? That's why I was so confused when he used whole plums with skins and pits still in it. Not really sure what you could do with the juice, plums are like peaches, just really juicy (and totally screw up poundcake fluid ratios. You might be able to try the same tart technique on a pear though.
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Isn't most of the bitterness of a plum in their skin though? That's why I was so confused when he used whole plums with skins and pits still in it. Not really sure what you could do with the juice, plums are like peaches, just really juicy (and totally screw up poundcake fluid ratios. You might be able to try the same tart technique on a pear though.
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i. rodriguez
Chef John, I wonder if you were to cut the plums in half first, pit them and macerate them in sugar, then try the tart experiment again to see if it helps. Also, make sure you let those plums get really ripe to make sure they are as sweet as can be. Or maybe try with nectarines or peaches next time.
Thanks for sharing your videos!
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Chef John, I wonder if you were to cut the plums in half first, pit them and macerate them in sugar, then try the tart experiment again to see if it helps. Also, make sure you let those plums get really ripe to make sure they are as sweet as can be. Or maybe try with nectarines or peaches next time.
Thanks for sharing your videos!
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saturnia22
okay so it was crappy, at least it looked good. like those pies in the freezer section until you got it home and tried it.
so you can make it up as you go super douper apple-butterscotch one and I'll watch, I've never had a butterscotch apple one try it out please. one with ice cream on it.
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okay so it was crappy, at least it looked good. like those pies in the freezer section until you got it home and tried it.
so you can make it up as you go super douper apple-butterscotch one and I'll watch, I've never had a butterscotch apple one try it out please. one with ice cream on it.
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