Seven ingredients, five stars, 14,000 ratings and 41 years of being a stone-cold, stone-fruit classic.
I realized the other day, to my shock — and the potential horror of the lovely people who screened me for this job — that I’ve never actually made The Plum Torte. You know the one: the original plum torte, the Marian Burros recipe that ran in The New York Times every September from 1983 through 1989. The plum torte with five stars and over 14,000 ratings. The most requested recipe in the history of The Times.
So I fixed that. I went to the store to pick up some small, yellow-fleshed plums with dusty, purple skin. I already had everything else: butter, flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, lemon. I creamed the butter and sugar by hand with my trusty wooden spoon and added some lemon zest to the batter. The lemon juice was squeezed over the halved plums and, after an hour in the oven, there was my beautiful plum torte, golden with burgundy marbling from the plum skins. My husband and I ate half of it in one go.
If I can give myself an out, I think it’s fitting that I made the plum torte for the first time now, as New York Times Cooking eyes its 10th anniversary on Tuesday. It’s a reminder that there are so many oldies but super goodies in our archive (roast Provençal chicken, turkey and white bean soup) to pair with new favorites (gochujang buttered noodles). The torte is smart, trustworthy, versatile, doable and, most important, really delicious — everything I expect from a New York Times Cooking recipe.
Speaking of reminders, and our anniversary: All through September, subscribers can send recipes to anyone they’d like for free. Just tap the “Give” icon on any recipe to create a paywall-free link that you can share with family and friends. (I suggest the plum torte.)
Featured Recipe
Original Plum Torte
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