Famous Plum Torte Recipe that was printed many times in the NY Times:
Plum Torte
(from the New York Times a long time ago, but originally from Marian Burros and Lois Levine's The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. unbleached flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt (optional, says the NYT; but recommended, says Nadia)
2 eggs
24 halves pitted purple plums (Nadia's note: you probably won't need this many, unless you're using the really small plums. I typically use a couple of larger plums or nectarines/peaches and cut them into sixths or eighths)
Sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon for topping
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and eggs, and beat well.
3. Spoon batter into a spring form of 8, 9, or 10 inches. Place the plum halves/piecs skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.
4. Bake one hour. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired (Nadia's note: trust me, the only think you will desire when this comes out of the oven is to eat the whole thing straight away). Or (yes!) cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream.
5. To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat briefly at 300 degrees.
