French Plum Tart with Vanilla Ganache

French Plum Tart with Vanilla Ganache

This French plum tart layers crisp sweet pastry, soft almond cream, juicy baked plums, and light whipped vanilla ganache. Mirabelles are a beautiful choice when you find them, but they are not required: ripe but firm yellow, red, or purple plums make an equally good tart and are easier to find in the UK.

Mirabelles are small golden plums with a floral sweetness. Their limited season is part of their charm, but a recipe should not depend on a fruit that many readers cannot buy. Ordinary plums bring a brighter tang that balances the sweet almond filling and white-chocolate ganache particularly well.

Why This Tart Works

The tart shell is partially blind-baked and sealed with a thin layer of egg, which protects it from the moisture released by the plums. The almond cream acts as a second buffer: it bakes around the fruit, absorbing juices while staying soft and fragrant rather than soggy.

The vanilla ganache is made first because it needs time to chill completely. Whipping it only after the tart has cooled gives a light finish that contrasts with the warm, dense almond layer. Pipe it on a cool tart, not a warm one, or the ganache will soften and lose definition.

Choosing and Preparing Plums

Choose plums that smell fragrant and give only slightly when pressed. If they are very soft, bake the wedges for 5 minutes on a parchment-lined tray first or pat them dry after cutting. This reduces excess juice without concentrating them to jam. Mirabelles, yellow plums, Victoria plums, and firm red plums all work; adjust the number of wedges rather than forcing an exact fruit count.

Serving and Storage

Serve the tart lightly chilled or at cool room temperature, when the ganache is silky and the almond cream is fully set. It is best on the day it is assembled. Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; the pastry will gradually soften but the flavour remains excellent.

The tart shell and ganache can be prepared a day ahead. For the cleanest presentation, bake the almond-and-plum tart, let it cool, then pipe the ganache shortly before serving. For another stone-fruit dessert with a baked almond filling, try Double Peach Almond Tart.

Common Problems

Why is the base soft?

The shell may not have been blind-baked long enough, or the plums were too wet. Bake until the base looks dry before sealing it, and use ripe but firm fruit.

Why will my ganache not whip?

It is probably not cold enough. Refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, then whip it from cold. A warm ganache remains liquid no matter how long it is whipped.

Why did the ganache split?

Overwhipping is the usual cause. Stop at medium peaks. If it starts to look grainy, fold in a tablespoon of cold cream gently instead of continuing to whisk.