Plum tart with lemon crust tastes like summer

I’m a happy camper this time of year, and no, not because kids are going back to school.

Mid-August is when Italian plumscome to market. To find them piled high in wooden pint baskets at a local market — I found mine at Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park — is like winning the lottery.

Slightly tart and a little more egg-shaped than a common plum, “prune plums” develop a rich, sugary-sweet flavor and jammy texture when cooked. That means they’re terrific not just for jam but also in pies, crumbles, cakes and tarts. Plus, since they’re a free stone fruit, the pits come out without any trouble. What cook doesn’t like that?

I use pint after pint of the purple fruit when it’s in season in one of my all-time favorite desserts: The New York Times’ famed plum tart. This year, though, that recipes has some competition from Fine Cooking. Its recipe pairs prune plums tossed in sugar and lemon zest with a lemon shortbread crust that requires no rolling — you simply pat it into the pan.

I made it even more delicious by brushing homemade peach jam on the tart shell before adding the plum filling. The entire dessert disappeared in less than a day, because my husband and I ate it for breakfast and also as a late-night snack.

A ripe plum should smell sweet and fruity, and feel heavy. Don’t worry about the spots of powdery white known as bloom — the fruit secretes it to protect against bugs and bacteria, and it’s actually a sign of freshness. It’s harmless and edible.