Sugar Plums And Currant Tart






When we turned sugar plums and currants into a crumbly tart

I spotted Miren playing in the kitchen floor with the last box of sugar plums we had brought back from New York City. Some nearly turned to mush – they were so ripe. Her white tunic covered in yellow stains, she smiled.

“I think it’s time we bake a tart with these, don’t you think?” I asked. Sometimes nothing beats frustration like baking and über ripe fruit is perfect for dessert.


She immediately shouted, “I want to help, I want to help!”… as she always does.






I love this really crumbly red velvet apricot and hazelnut tart from my book. Tender with a buttery and slightly salty hazelnut crust. I had that recipe on my mind when I worked on this one.


A simple dough that only requires a bowl to mix and your fingers to press the pastry into the tart pan. I reserved part of the dough to use as a crumb topping, which worked very well.






I am a bit obsessed with currants at the moment. So coveted around here – I treat them like gold. Partly because they are hard to come by where we live, but mostly because they add the perfect acidity and contrast to any other baked fruit.

So I froze the last box we brought back from the Union Square market, but saved some to bake pistachio financiers.


… and we shared half of it with friends.








I am happy to report that we are off to Vermont tomorrow to visit Nadia and Romina. I had to bring Jon and Miren once again in the summer after the fun we had last year.

I foresee lots of berry picking and perhaps we will come home loaded with fruit once again. I don’t see why not.


Sugar Plum and Currant Crumb Tart

makes a 9-inch tart

Tart dough and crumble

1 cup (140 g) superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup (100 g) natural cane sugar
1/4 cup (30 g) millet flour
1/4 cup (25 g) almond flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
10 tablespoons (150 g) unsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 to 3 tablespoons cold whole milk

In a large bowl, whisk together the first five ingredients. Add the butter and work it with your fingers into the flour mixture until it resembles a sand-like dough. Add the milk and stir until it comes together. It will be a soft dough.

Reserve approximately 1/4 cup of the dough in the refrigerator.

Press the dough into the tart mold starting from the bottom and going up the sides. It should be about 1/4-inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Sugar Plum and currant filling

1 pound (450 g) sugar plums or other small plums, halved and pitted
1 cup (140 g) red and white currants mixed
3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).





Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and let it rest for 5 minutes. If the fruit releases too much juice, discard some of it or the bottom will become soggy. Remove the vanilla bean.

Fill the chilled tart dough with the fruit filling. Crumble the rest of the reserved dough on top of the fruit filling.

Bake the tart for 45 to 50 minutes in the middle of the oven until the crust has a deep golden color.


Let the tart cool completely before cutting. It is very crumbly so cutting it when warm will make it fall apart easily.



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