Photo: "première tarte aux mirabelles de l'année" by fidber licensed under CC BY 2.0
Article by Emily Saurack

This article was written by our new intern, Emily Saurack. Emily is a rising High School senior with a penchant for food, French, and photography. With inspiration from her extensive collection of cookbooks, Emily has been baking for her large family holiday gatherings and for charity events benefiting The Sharing Shelf. Emily founded a baking kit company called MixItReal, where she demonstrates healthy recipes for which she sells and delivers pre-packaged ingredients. Emily recently apprenticed at Estelle Gourmet, where she assisted with teaching French cooking classes. She has DELF level B1 certification and is working toward level B2 and hopes to one day study in France where, with her camera by her side, she could explore French cuisine and culture.

This traditional tarte from Lorraine is made with delicious yellow and red-dotted mirabelle plums (the symbol of Lorraine) grown only in this region and in parts of Alsace. With Mirabelles being impossible to import to other countries, this tart is a prized delicacy when visiting Lorraine in the short period—in between August and September—when these plums are in season.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 Tart

Ingredients:

• 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cubed
  
• 2 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
  
• Pinch of salt 
  
• ¼ cup water
  
• 700 grams mirabelle plums, halved and pitted
  
• 6 shortbread cookies, crumbled
  
• Confectioners' sugar, for topping

Directions:

• In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.
  
• Then with an electric mixer or food processor, combine in the butter until the mixture has a coarse meal texture.
  
• Pour in the water little by little until the mixture begins to clump and it is able to hold together.
  
• Use your hands to form a disk shape with the dough, then let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
  
• Preheat the oven to 350˚F, then butter and flour a round pie dish.
  
• Spread the dough out on the pie dish, all over the bottom and sides, then sprinkle the cookie crumbs over the bottom of the dish in order to optimize the absorption of the plum juice. 
  
• Arrange the plums in the dish, as tight together as possible.
  
• Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
  
• Once out of the oven, sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top.

• Bon appetit!