featured 275 1

Plum Tart with Honey Ginger Mascarpone

I’ll admit it: sometimes my baking starts with an image, and the flavors follow. Seeing jewel-like plums, pluots, and plumcots at the farmers’ market, I pictured a tart topped with alternating pink and red half-moon plum slices. From that visual came the flavors—honey, ginger, and mascarpone—and a no-bake cheesecake-style filling seemed perfect. I also wanted to try out a new square tart pan I’d just bought.

The idea came together as a plum or plumcot tart filled with a no-bake honey-ginger mascarpone cheesecake nestled in a browned-butter shortbread crust. My first attempt with an improvised sweet pastry crust failed: the shell baked unevenly and crumbled. Then, while catching up on DVR’d episodes of America’s Test Kitchen, I found the solution I’d wanted—a shortbread crust made with browned butter. The nutty, toasty flavor of browned butter complements the plums, honey, and ginger beautifully, and the texture holds up nicely against the creamy filling.

img 275 1

This tart is forgiving and adaptable. Use any ripe-but-firm plums, pluots, or plumcots; red- and pink-fleshed varieties create the most striking presentation. For a neat, graphic look I used a small cookie cutter to make quarter-inch-thick circles from the fruit, then halved them into half-moons and alternated darker and lighter slices. If you prefer a simpler approach, slice the fruit and fan it across the chilled filling—either method works and looks lovely.

img 275 2 1

img 275 3 1

Plum Tart with Honey Ginger Mascarpone Filling

This tart features plums or plumcots layered over a no-bake honey-ginger mascarpone cheesecake filling, all set in a browned-butter shortbread crust adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.

Keywords
browned butter crust, honey ginger mascarpone, plum tart

Ingredients

Browned Butter Crust

  • 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 tbsp sugar
  • generous 1/8 tsp salt
  • 12 1/2 tbsp (1/2 cup plus 4 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 2 1/2 tbsp water

Filling

  • 4 oz Neufchâtel or regular cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled
  • 5 tbsp honey
  • 5 oz mascarpone
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 5–7 plums, pluots, or plumcots ripe but firm

Instructions

Browned Butter Crust

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl until evenly combined.
  3. Melt the butter in a small stainless-steel saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally. As the butter foams, watch for the milk solids to turn golden and for a nutty, toasted aroma. Remove from the heat and add the water; the mixture will bubble. When bubbling subsides, pour the browned butter and water into the flour mixture and stir until a cohesive dough forms.
  4. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch square or 10-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes until it is just warm.
  5. Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Roughly two-thirds of the dough will go on the bottom and one-third up the sides.
  6. Place the tart pan on a wire rack set on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 25–30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking for even color.
  7. Allow the baked crust to cool completely, at least one hour, before filling.

Filling

  1. Grate the peeled ginger on a microplane into a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Press the grated ginger to extract the juice and discard the solids. Reserve the ginger juice.
  2. With an electric mixer, whip the mascarpone and heavy cream together until stiff peaks form. Transfer this whipped mascarpone to a separate bowl and set aside.
  3. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean it), blend the room-temperature cream cheese with the reserved ginger juice and honey until smooth. Fold the whipped mascarpone mixture into the cream cheese mixture until evenly combined. Taste and add a touch more honey or a teaspoon or two of sugar if you prefer a sweeter filling.
  4. Spread the filling evenly into the cooled tart crust. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least three hours to set the filling.
  5. Slice the plums, plumcots, or pluots to your preferred thickness and arrange them on top of the chilled filling. Keep the tart refrigerated until ready to serve; it is freshest the same day it’s assembled.

Notes and Tips

  • Select fruit that is ripe but still firm so slices hold their shape; red- or pink-fleshed varieties add the most visual appeal.
  • If you don’t have a microplane, finely grate and then press the ginger through a sieve to extract juice.
  • For a simpler finish, skip the cookie-cutter circles and fan whole slices across the filling.
  • Serve chilled or allow the tart to sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before slicing for a softer texture. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
  • Variations: swap the plums for peaches, nectarines, or berries when in season; omit ginger for a milder honey-mascarpone flavor.