Hungarian Plum Tart
Dairy or Pareve
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Jews save a special fruit for the Rosh Hashanah Sheheheyonu: a blessing made over fruit savored for the first time that season. For many, the taste of Rosh Hashanah is the midnight blue prune plum that begins arriving in markets at the tail end of the summer. Carole Goldberg’s mother brought the recipe for this simple but sublimely fresh prune plum tart from her native Transylvania, where her family prepared it to greet the holiday at the beginning of the last century.

Explosive with deep ripe fruit flavor and a dusting of cinnamon, it is more a cross between cobbler and crunch than a traditional tart. I have modified the original recipe slightly. Carole uses pareve margarine so she can serve the tart at a meat meal; I prefer it with the clean, sweet taste of pure butter, perfect as a tea-time treat for company with a generous dollop of ice cream. Either way, it is delicious and simple to prepare.

Ingredients
20 to 24 fresh prune plums, pitted and quartered, or
6 to 8 pitted black plums, cut into sixths or eighths (depending on size of plums)
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
About 1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using margarine)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter or pareve margarine, melted, plus additional for greasing the pan
Optional accompaniment: vanilla or coffee ice cream or freshly whipped heavy cream

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, arrange the plums cut-side up in a single layer. Stir together the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, and the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture over the plums. In a large bowl, using a fork, blend together the granulated sugar (use up to 2 tablespoons less than 1 cup if you prefer, as I do, a less sweet dessert or if the plums are particularly sweet), the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, egg, and almond extract until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Crumble it over the plums. Drizzle the melted butter or margarine over all and bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes until the plums are tender and the topping is golden.

Serve the tart at room temperature, accompanied by ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. It is also wonderful warm from the oven, especially with the cool contrast of the ice cream.