Quetschentaart

Ingredients

Pastry

• 300 gplain flour
• 150 gcold butter, cubed
• 60 gsugar
• 1egg yolk
• 2 tbspcold water
• a pinch of salt

Fruit

• 1.2 kgquetsch plums, damsons, halved and stoned

To protect the base

• 3 tbspground almonds, or fine breadcrumbs, or crushed biscuit

To finish

• 60 gsugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon

Optional

• a streusel of 80 g flour, 50 g butter and 50 g sugar

To serve

• whipped cream
• or vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Rub or pulse the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Leave some butter in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes make the pastry short. Bind with the yolk and as little cold water as possible, and stop the moment it comes together.
3. Chill the pastry an hour, then roll it out and line a 26 cm tart tin. Chill the lined tin again for 20 minutes before baking, which stops the sides slumping. Blind bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes with beans, then 5 minutes more without.
4. Halve and stone the plums but do not slice them further. Pack them tightly, because they shrink considerably as they bake.
5. Mix the sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle it over. Quetsch plums are sharp and the tart should stay tart, which is the point of using them. Add a streusel topping if you want, which is common in autumn.
6. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40 to 45 minutes. It is ready when the plums have collapsed slightly, the juices are bubbling and the pastry edge is deep golden.
7. Let it cool at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut it warm rather than hot and it will hold together; cut hot, the juices run. Serve it warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Technique

• Quetsch, Zwetschge and damson are essentially the same fruit under different names.
• A yeasted base is used in some Luxembourg and German versions and gives a softer tart.
• It does not keep well and is best on the day it is baked.

Substitutions

• Damsons or any firm cooking plum.
• Ready-made shortcrust pastry, blind baked.

Variations

• With a streusel topping.
• On a yeasted dough base.
• With a thin layer of frangipane under the fruit.

History

Damson tart baked in late summer when the quetsch plums ripen along the Moselle valley; every bakery sells it in season.

Frequently asked questions

What is Quetschentaart?

Quetschentaart is a dessert from Luxembourg: shortcrust tart of purple quetsch plums, autumn favourite. Damson tart baked in late summer when the quetsch plums ripen along the Moselle valley; every bakery sells it in season.

How long does Quetschentaart take to make?

Quetschentaart takes 30 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Quetschentaart?

Yes, within limits. Damsons or any firm cooking plum. Ready-made shortcrust pastry, blind baked.

What is the most important thing to get right in Quetschentaart?

Leave some butter in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes make the pastry short. Bind with the yolk and as little cold water as possible, and stop the moment it comes together.