Pluot Tart

The sweet pastry base of this tart is an excellent match for tart pluots or other stone fruits, such as apricots and cherries. There's no rolling of pastry dough involved here, and the tart goes together in a jiffy. Make sure your fruit isn't fully ripe, or it will be too soft to work well. Serve it plain or topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, or a 9-inch cake pan. Set aside.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse 2 or 3 times. Add the egg and pulse just until the dough begins to clump together. Don’t overprocess — you want the mixture to be crumbly. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared tart pan, creating an even layer.

Arrange the pluot wedges decoratively in the tart pan, leaving the outer 1/2 inch of dough uncovered. Leave some space between the pluots (you may not use all of the fruit). Alternate the wedges so that every other one is skin-up.

Combine the crème fraîche, brown sugar, and almond extract in a small bowl and stir to blend. Set aside at room temperature.

Bake the tart until the edges of the crust are brown and the middle areas are golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and spread the crème fraîche mixture over the tart, leaving the outer 1/2 inch of the crust uncovered. Return the tart to the oven and bake until the topping sets, 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove the outer ring of the pan and cut the tart into slices. Serve warm.