This weekend ......we will be picking our Flavor Queen pluots. The orchard is so heavy with fruit clinging onto the branches.....that the branches are breaking! I have to say.....that is good news !
So what the heck is a pluot? A pluot is a cross between a plum (75%) and an apricot (25%). The Flavor Queen pluot's flavor is dominated by the plum, but it has the mouthfeel of the apricot. This fruit is very sweet....in fact it contains more sweetness than either the plum or the apricot.
Stop by out fruit stand and get a free sample (or two) for your taste buds. We are sure that you will have to take some home with you. Oh........I did say that our fruit is organic......no chemicals are used. We don't wax our produce either...to make it shine. Fact is....we don't have any gimmicks.
There is several ways to eat a Natomas Farm Flavor Queen pluot.......pick n eat............or bake n eat. I have been seeing these tarts appear in our kitchen lately....then disappearing overnight. The recipe below is just another good reason why you want to buy our Flavor Queens.
PLUOT TART
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), diced
1 egg yolk
2 pounds firm, ripe pluots, pitted and quartered lengthwise
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine the flour, walnuts, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until crumbly.
Press 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture in an even layer into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform or tart pan. Arrange the pluots in the pan, skin side down, to form a flower pattern; begin at the outside and work your way in.
Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over the pluots. Bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and the pluots juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer the tart to a flat plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
..........and don't forget that big ol' scoop of ice cream!