Better late than never! Turning late summer prunes into a plum tart

It’s late, 2:30 am. This article is going to get to the editor late, and my Braves lost their lead and their do-or-die playoff game late in the game. I hate being late, but when I’m late, I hustle. When I worked in the city, I became so adept at making the train, no matter how late I was, that I was able to leave my house, drive a mile, find a parking spot (no easy feat!), run toward the train and across the tracks while the train was already there. All in four minutes. Of course I couldn’t catch my breath for half the train ride and I had to listen to the conductor admonish me not to run across the tracks while the gates were down (yes, I know he was right).

My husband Jerry, on the other hand, tends to be tardy most of the time, maybe all of the time. He does it in the calmest manner and actually thinks he’s going to be on time.

Last week, I was going to meet him in the city at NYU hospital to visit his mom and then drive home together. I told him I was on the way and he said he would meet me in front of the hospital at 9:10 pm and park the car for me. I got there on time and pulled into a no standing zone in front of the hospital (yes, I know it wasn’t right, but I figured it would just be a minute or two till Jerry got there). When I spoke to him 45 minutes before, he said he was leaving the gym, which is a 20 minute walk from NYU, so he should have been there, but he wasn’t. 9:10 turned into 9:20. I called his cell, then called again and again.

Every time I heard a siren I thought it was the police there to ticket me and tow me away. Of course it was an ambulance, because I was about ten feet from the emergency room entrance. Now, it was 10:35. I was nervous. Did something happen to him? Did he get mugged? Did he have to hand over his Nietzsche books and his highlighters?

I decided to call his office, in a last ditch effort to find him and — low and behold! — he answered the phone.

“Are you kidding me!?!” I screamed into the phone.

“What are you doing in your office? An hour ago said you were leaving the gym and heading to the hospital! How is it possible that you ended up in your office and you are still there? And for heaven’s sake why are you not answering your cell?” He calmly said he was charging his phone (he thinks he has to keep it off when he does that … sigh). He explained that he ran back to his office on the way to the hospital to pick something up and lost track of time.

“You lost track of time? You were on your way to meet me, you stop at your office to pick something up, why would you sit down, charge your phone, do some work and lose track of time, on your way to meet me?” And then, he actually thought he would still have time to walk from Broadway and 38th to 32nd and First. “Lose track of time? I think you lost your mind!” I screamed.

Knowing him only to well, I pictured him leaving the office and leisurely walking to the hospital like Don Quixote on his donkey. Kind of like he does when he gets off the railroad and it’s raining, hailing or snowing and he saunters down the steps and strolls to his car while everyone else is holding newspapers over their heads and making a mad dash to safety. I told him in no uncertain terms he should hail a cab — as if his life depended on it (which, it did!).

Talking about being late, here is a great plum tart recipe to make with late summer plum prunes, which are still abundant and in stores throughout October.

Ingredients

For pastry dough

• 2 lbs small Italian (prune) plums halved and pitted

• 1 1/4 sticks (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

• 2 large egg yolks

For filling

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 lb small prune plums, halved and pitted

• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom

Preparation

Pie Dough Crust

Combine flour, butter, sugar, salt, and zest in a food processor and pulse until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Add yolks and process just until incorporated and mixture begins to clump.

Turn mixture onto a flat surface and divide into 2 portions. Press each portion once with heel of your hand from one end to another to make sure the fat is distributed. Combine the two pieces of dough together to form a ball.

Pat out the ball of dough with floured fingers into a tart pan, in an even 1/4-inch layer on bottom and up sides (about 1/8 inch above rim). Chill 30 minutes, or until firm.

Mold onto bottom and up sides of tart pan.

Filling

Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add plums and lemon juice and toss to coat. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Arrange plum halves, skin sides down, in tart shells, overlapping in a rosette pattern. Cut any extra plums lengthwise and stick them in between plum halves in tart. Pour plum juice over the plums.

Bake tart in middle of oven 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375°F. Cover tart loosely with foil and bake until plums are soft and juice is bubbling and slightly thickened, about 45 minutes more. If pie crust starts to brown too quickly cover just the crust with aluminum foil. Juice will continue to thicken as tarts cools. Cool before serving.