Something I love about France in the summer is the bounty of delicious, juicy produce. Tomatoes, peaches, nectarines are everywhere in seemingly endless quantities as we devour them while the season lasts.

One of the best things to do with them is throw them into a simple tart to bring out their bright flavours. You can use this recipe here more as a template to work with whatever fruit you have around and in season.

bowl of mirabelles

Here, I made a tart with mirabelle plums. My in-laws have a beautiful garden with a mirabelle tree and my mother-in-law makes jam each summer out of its fruit. She gave me some of the mirabelles and I thought a tart would be a great way to use them. These plums are small and juicy with a rather tart flavour. I think that tartness is complimented well here with the almond filling, but it could never hurt to add a dollop of coconut whipped cream or coconut yogurt.

Uncooked Mirabelles Tarte

I was really happy with how the crust turned out, as I’ve made many failed, shrunken, or leaky crusts in the past — especially once I began trying vegan ones. The only vegan butter I’ve been able to find around here is soft and only really good for spreading on toast, not baking. So I was happy to find a way of making the dough just using oil instead. This crust recipe, adapted from Mama Eats Plants, is pretty foolproof and my new go-to. Its simplicity also means I no longer need the convenience of the store bought ones in plastic.

Cooked Mirabelles Tarte with mirabelles on the side
Mirabelles tarte with slice on the side
Vertical image of mirabelles tarte with slice on the side

Let’s get started!

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup sunflower oil, or another mild oil
  • 2 tablespoons oat milk, or another plant milk
  • Pinch of salt

For the filling:

  • About 60 mirabelle plums, or enough of whatever fruit you’re using to fill your tart pan
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 2.5 tablespoons water
  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons oat milk, or other plant milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C or 375°F.
  2. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl until combined.
  3. To the flour mixture, add the sunflower oil and oat milk. Mix with a fork until just combined, being sure not to over mix.
  4. Turn the dough into a tart pan (mine is 28 cm / 11 in) and press the dough evenly throughout the bottom and sides of the pan.
  5. Put the tart pan with the dough into the fridge for about ten minutes while the oven finishes pre-heating.
  6. Once the oven is ready, put the tart pan into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes just until it begins to look golden and solid and remove from the oven and set aside.
  7. In the mean time, prepare your fruit. For the mirabelles, cut them in half and remove the pits.
  8. In a bowl, prepare your flax egg. I follow minimalist baker’s method of 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 2.5 tablespoons water mixed in a bowl and left alone for 5 minutes to thicken.
  9. To your flax egg, add the almond meal, sugar, oat milk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
  10. Pour your almond filling into the crust and spread evenly.
  11. Place the mirabelles on top of the filling in concentric circles, making sure the tart is well-filled.
  12. Put your tart back in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden, the edges of the fruit just start to brown, and the filling is bubbling.
  13. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. This gives time for the filling to set, otherwise it will be too liquid.
  14. Slice and serve, preferably with some coconut yogurt or coconut whipped cream. This size tart makes about 8 servings. The tart is best the day it’s prepared but would be fine in the fridge for a day or two.