Whole wheat almond plum crostatas recipe

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1¼ cups (150 g) whole wheat pastry flour
• 1⁄4 cup (48 g) organic turbinado sugar or organic evaporated cane juice
• Scant 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1⁄4 cup (60 ml) neutral-flavored oil
• Vegan milk, as needed

• 1⁄2 cup (60 g) almond meal
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1⁄4 cup plus 1 heaping tablespoon (55 g) organic turbinado sugar or organic evaporated cane juice, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pure almond extract or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons vegan milk
• 2 large, quite firm plums, pitted and cut into thin wedges

To make the Crust
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). Lightly coat 4 cups of a muffin top pan or 4 individual 4-inch (10 cm) pans with cooking spray.
2. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process until no large sugar crystals remain. Add the oil while pulsing to combine. Add just enough milk for the dough to stick together easily when pinched, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, as you hit the pulse button.
3. Form the dough into a ball, and divide it into 4 equal portions. Roll out each portion of dough into a circle measuring a generous 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter.
4. Transfer the disks of dough to the prepared cups. If the dough tears a little during the transfer, simply patch the holes with your fingers.
To make the Filling
5. Place the almond meal, cornstarch, and 48 g (1⁄4 cup) of the sugar in a food processor. Process until no large sugar crystals remain. Add the almond extract and milk while pulsing to combine. Divide the filling among the 4 crusts, 1 heaping tablespoon (28 g) filling per crostata. Crumble it evenly on the bottom of each crust and press down a little. Divide the plum wedges among the 4 crusts, one pointy end of a wedge centered in the middle of the crust, and each wedge slightly overlapping the previous one. Carefully fold the crust overhang over the filling. Sprinkle each top with a scant teaspoon sugar.
6. Line the oven rack with aluminum foil or a baking sheet just in case the juice from the fruit should escape. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the plums are tender. Carefully remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool, because the crostatas are at their best when fully cooled. They will also remain fresh and crisp when tightly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.