Making a gluten-free blackberry plum tart was not what I originally had planned for my weekend, camping in the wilderness was, and you don’t make tarts in the wilderness, well at least not this gal. But at the end of Saturday, this is what I had created.

My husband and I had experienced a long work week and were looking forward to a few days away in the mountains of Idaho. We hooked up our trailer and were off to enjoy some peace and quiet, enjoy time around a campfire, and come back focused and refreshed for another week. We picked out our campsite and set off to enjoy a little time down by the river.

We watched as a beaver gathered sticks and paddled across the water, a mother duck keeping a close eye on her ducklings as they swam in a row, and a large osprey flew among the marsh. It was peaceful and pristine; just what we had hoped for, that is until we returned to camp. A notice was placed at our campsite that all campfires were restricted due to a fire ban. Half the fun of camping is time around the fire roasting marshmallows, and being mesmerized by the flames but the peace and quiet of the forest was still worth it. That is, until our camping neighbors arrived. A family with three young kids, two dogs, and a loud boom box moved in next door. Within moments the beautiful silence of the woods turned into chaos. I think we may have tried to put up with it for the weekend, but when the parents started yelling at their kids and dropping the “F” bomb in every sentence, it was time to go. My heart ached for the three kids, the oldest no older than eight, growing up in a home where the norm is profanity. We stayed the night and packed the trailer up early the next morning. We were back home in time to enjoy the tail-end of the farmers’ market where I bought some beautifully ripe plums and plump blackberries.

We called a few friends for a last-minute casual dinner party and enjoyed sweet time with old friends. I made a delicious fresh salad with blackberry-ginger dressing, Coconut Sticky Chicken (one of my favorite summer recipes), grilled summer veggies, sweet corn on the cob, and finished it off with a Gluten-free Blackberry Plum Tart and vanilla bean ice cream. So even though we planned a weekend away of solitude in the mountains, in the end, coming back home to enjoy great conversation and laughter with friends was the best medicine for us both.
Gluten-free Blackberry Plum Tart
Serves | 4-6 |
Prep time | 30 minutes |
Cook time | 30 minutes |
Total time | 1 hour |
Dietary | Gluten-free |
Meal type | Dessert |
Misc | Pre-preparable |
Ingredients
Optional
- vanilla ice cream
tart crust
- 1 1/4 cup Gluten-free Multi Purpose Flour (I used King Arthur)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons Cold Butter
- 1 Large egg (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or vinegar)
tart filling
- 8 Medium plums (ripe)
- 24 Large blackberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey (raw)
tart filling (Optional)
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions
tart crust | |
Step 1 | |
Lightly grease a tart pan with removable bottom plate. | |
Step 2 | |
Whisk together the flour blend, sugar, cornstarch, psyllium husk powder, and salt. | |
Step 3 | |
Cut the cold butter into cubes, and work the cubes into the flour blend with a pastry cutter. Flour mix should be crumbly & resemble small pea-size chunks. | |
Step 4 | |
Whisk the egg and lemon juice or vinegar together until frothy. Mix into dry ingredients. Blend until dough ball forms. Add a tablespoon or two of cold water if needed to form ball. | |
Step 5 | |
Shape into ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature 15 minutes before rolling. | |
Step 6 | |
Place dough into tart pan and mold crust evenly on the bottom and sides. | |
tart filling | |
Step 7 | |
Preheat oven to 425 degrees | |
Step 8 | |
Slice plums in half and remove pit. Top prepared crust evenly with sliced plums. | |
Step 9 | |
Place blackberries over plum filling. | |
Step 10 | |
Sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit. | |
Step 11 | |
Season with a few grinds of black pepper if desired. | |
Step 12 | |
Bake tart until crust is golden brown and fruit is soft, approximately 25-30 minutes. | |
Step 13 | |
Drizzle with honey just before serving. | |
Step 14 | |
Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. |