Over the course of the past few years I’ve run across a few varieties of fruit that I’ve never heard of before, like the Plumcot.  Before I reached into the bin at my the supermarket and picked it up, I had no idea what a Plumcot was.  It looked like a golden colored plum which I figured was a hybrid of a plum and an apricot and this made it very intriguing.  I put three in my cart and as I strolled around the market finishing my shopping, I thought about what I’d do with it.

That’s when a Plumcot Tart came to mind.  This dessert is so quick and easy you can whip one up and have a warm Plumcot Tart for a weeknight dessert.

I was having a friend over for dinner and knew it would be the perfect end to a simple summer dinner.  We didn’t need anything complicated to finish the meal.  This tart was just right.

I adapted a Weight Watchers Apple Tart recipe by adding a few spoonfuls of my version of Apricot Compote and I used less sugar.  I found the recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook a few months ago, and while I can’t find a copy of it, I was able to recreate the dessert with ease.  There are just few ingredients, as you’ll see in the recipe below.

The definition of a compote is fruit stewed with sugar or in a syrup and sometimes with a splash of alcohol, but mine had none of that.  I had a container of perfectly ripe apricots and needed to do something with them so I put them in a small saucepan, unpeeled and let them simmer until they broke down.

Once they began to slump in the pan I scooped out the pits and threw them away.  After tasting the fruit I decided it needed just a bit of sugar so I added 1/2 packet of Truvia.  I’d never used it in baking before and didn’t want to ruin the fresh fruit flavor.  It was that perfect sweet-tart flavor.  If you don’t want to use a sugar substitute or real sugar, a 1/4 cup of fresh orange juice will give you the sweet lift you’re looking for.  Cook until you can mash the fruit and you’re done.  And a bonus for those of you with babies — stewing fruit in this manner (without the sugar substitute) makes quick baby food.  Buzz it in a food processor or with a stick blender and you have a treat your child is not likely to turn their nose up at.

So, as the tart was finishing up in the oven I got a wild hair and decided a few spoonfuls of that sweet-tart Apricot Compote needed to become part of this tart.  I guess I was just a little off my game.  It tasted incredible, but the apricots would have been just as delicious and more visually appealing on the bottom of the tart shell, and as I was spreading the compote on the plumcots I realized my mistake.  I have one more shell left in the freezer, and more stone fruit on the counter, so I’ll make another and share it with neighbors!  Oh yes, I know my limits.

The rest of dinner was delicious as well.  We feasted on Mexican flavored Chicken Burgers using my friend Stephanie of Copycat Recipes’ Taco Seasoning recipe, Corn on the Cob with Queso Fresco and Cilantro and a Stacked Caprese Salad inspired by David Leite’s Tomato and Basil Tower post.  I wasn’t true to that recipe either, but loved how it looked in his post and made it my own by slicing an heirloom tomato into thick “steaks” and layering with fresh mozzarella and basil.  A little good quality extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle of quality balsamico (tradizionale, if you can spring for it), freshly cracked black pepper ground Himalayan salt and we had a summer vegetable to round out the meal.  Next time, I’ll try it the way the recipe intended — blanching and peeling the tomato and no cheese, but this version worked well.  Truth be told, I just plain forgot that step!    Ah people … don’t let your brain turn to mush, ok?

Ok, you caught me!  I decided to make it my way one more time this week to have with dinner and I have to be honest, I like the resistance and the slightly tart zing that lies just beneath the skin.  Next week I’ll hit up the farmers market and find a beautifully round specimen to blanch.  Promise.  Oh, and I’ll plate it more beautifully.  My poor tomatoes are a little sad.