I grew up on a farm in England and my parents owned a bakery. Their best seller was a cheesecake. I still remember the taste and mouthfeel of that cheesecake. It was creamy and rich with a brown crust and lots of cheese. My mother made everything from scratch her whole life. In fact, her biggest treat was to be taken out to McDonald's for lunch. Fresh, local food was an everyday occurrence for us. As a result I have always had an appreciation for good food, but it was not until after I was diagnosed with cancer that I turned to macrobiotics and really started to cook.

Making vegan desserts was a challenge, and healthy, vegan desserts an even greater challenge. Good desserts are all about flavor and the flavor that most of us know best comes from eggs and dairy products. Many vegan desserts that I found used refined sugar and flour. All of that went out the window five years ago. I replaced it with topnotch ingredients such as really fresh fruit enhanced by other flavor combinations from herbs, spices and extracts.

For this plum tart I used prune plums from a tree I planted two years ago. This was the first year I had enough plums to do anything with, so this is my first attempt at a plum tart. In fact, I made it three times. The first effort was not a success. I used maple syrup as the sweetener and with the added liquid the fruit did not thicken. It also needed more work in the flavor department. The second time I decided to use cardamon and orange extract for added flavor. I like to buy the seeds in small quantities at a health food store and grind them myself. The flavor is so much better. The orange extract should be added at the end of cooking for maximum flavor. I used 1/2 tsp ground cardamon and 1/4 tsp orange extract for this recipe but you can adjust that for personal preference.

Tart Crust

2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup walnut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9.5" tart pan. Toast almonds and rolled oats and grind in a processor. In another bowl mix walnut oil and maple syrup. Mix with dry ingredients. The mix will be crumbly. Press into tart pan. The mix will stick to your hands so it is best to place a piece of saran wrap on the mix and then press into place. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.



Filling

5 cups chopped plums
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp orange extract
5 Tbsp arrowroot powder

Put the plums in a saucepan. Add the maple syrup and cardamon. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until plums are soft. Add 5 T arrowroot powder and cook just until the mixture thickens. Remove from stove and add orange extract. Let it cool a little before filling the tart. Refrigerate until cool.



Glaze

Approx. 8 plums
1/4 cup brown rice syrup

Slice the plums into thin slices and saute with the brown rice syrup for three minutes. Wait until the plums cool before arranging on the top of your tart.



I am providing the recipe for this second effort because I feel it was the most successful. The filling was rich and juicy and the cardamon and orange extract added a really subtle flavor. For my third effort I cooked the fruit with 1/2T agar flakes for about five minutes and then I added 4T arrowroot powder, and brought it back to a boil. I also added the cardamon and orange extract. This time the filling was much stiffer and easier to slice but I could not taste the cardamon or the orange flavoring and, of course, taste is the proof of a good pudding. Actually I think I mangled that old proverb. It should be the proof of the pudding is in the eating so I hope you decide to make it, eat it and let me know what you think.

No more plums on my plum tree so tune in next September for more plum recipes.