Alsatian Damson Tart

📝 Ingredients

• 260 g plain flour (250 for the dough, 10 for the work surface)
• 125 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 6 g dried yeast
• 75 g caster sugar (35 for the dough, 40 for the damsons)
• 1 egg
• 40 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1.2 kg damsons (about 30 g each)
• 200 g apple purée with no added sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

🍴 Utensils

• Mixing bowl
• Baking tray
• Baking paper
• Rolling pin
• Paring knife
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Warm the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds: it should feel just lukewarm to the touch (about 35 °C), never hot, or the yeast will die. Stir in the yeast and 1 tsp of sugar taken from the 35 g, then leave to stand for 10 min until a foam forms.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine 250 g flour, the rest of the 35 g sugar and the salt. Make a well, pour in the yeasty milk and the beaten egg, then mix with a wooden spoon to a sticky dough with no dry flour left.
3. Knead by hand on the work surface for 5 min, then add the softened butter in pieces and knead for another 5 min: the dough is sticky at first, then becomes smooth and supple and comes away from your fingers. Avoid adding too much flour, or it will be dry.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm, draught-free place until doubled in size. Meanwhile, wash and dry the damsons.
5. Slit each damson down one side with a small knife and remove the stone, without separating the two halves completely: they stay joined by the skin, which makes them easier to stand upright.
6. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Knock back the dough by pressing it with the flat of your hand, then roll it out on the floured work surface into a rectangle of about 25 × 30 cm. Place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper and lift the edges slightly.
7. Spread the compote thinly over the dough, leaving a 1 cm border. Arrange the opened damsons, cut side up, in tightly packed rows, slightly tilted like roof tiles. Leave to rest for 15 min so the dough puffs up again.
8. Mix the remaining 40 g sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle half of it over the fruit. Bake for 30 to 35 min at 200 °C on the middle shelf, until the edges of the dough are golden and the damson juices are bubbling.
9. As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle over the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Leave to cool on the tray for at least 15 min before cutting into 8 pieces: the juices set a little and the base doesn't go soggy. Serve warm.