Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Quetschentaart
A shortcrust tart of sharp quetsch plums under a cinnamon dusting, Luxembourg's classic late-summer bake.
Luxembourgish · easy · serves 8
prep 25 min · cook 40 min
~302 cal · 4g protein · 43g carbs · 13g fat · 1g fiber · 19g sugars · 8g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Quetschentaart, plum tart, is Luxembourg's favourite seasonal dessert, made each late summer and autumn when the small, oval quetsch plums (damsons) ripen. It is a fixture of home kitchens and bakeries alike through the season.
A buttery shortcrust base is packed with halved quetsch plums, arranged cut-side up so they hold their shape and their tartness concentrates as they bake. A simple dusting of cinnamon sugar, or sometimes a light custard, is all the embellishment it needs. The contrast of sweet pastry and sharp, jammy plums is what makes it so loved.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 egg
2 lb quetsch plums (damsons), halved
Hard to find? any small tart plum, or damsons - the point is a firm, sour, freestone plum that holds its shape and does not flood the pastry; a soft sweet dessert plum will collapse into juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
1
Make a shortcrust with the flour, cold butter, a little sugar, and the egg, then chill and line a tart tin.
2
Arrange the halved plums cut-side up, packed tightly over the base.
✎ Chef’s note
Pack the plums in snugly cut-side up. They shrink as they bake, and standing them upright keeps the tart from turning watery.
3
Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.
4
Bake at 375F (190C) until the pastry is golden and the plums are soft and caramelised, about 35 minutes.
Luxembourgish seasonal baking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Luxembourg City. Even the name is argued over. One theory derives judd from the Spanish judia, meaning bean, which would make the dish beans with beans, and nobody has settled it. The rest of the table borrows openly from both neighbours: river fish fried whole, black pudding with apple, and quetsch plum tart.
🗺️
Luxembourg. Judd mat Gaardebounen is tied to one village, Gostingen, whose inhabitants are nicknamed Bounepatscherten, bean-madmen. The smoked pork collar is soaked, then simmered with leeks, carrots, celery and cloves, often with Moselle wine, and served with broad beans. The word judd has no settled etymology, though one theory derives it from the Spanish judia, meaning bean.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Luxembourg
Judd mat GaardebounenLuxembourg's national dish: smoked pork collar simmered tender and served with a creamy broad-bean stew.
Kachkéis (Luxembourg Cooked Cheese)Aged curd melted down on the stove with butter and caraway into a glossy, tangy spreadable cheese, poured out to set and eaten on bread with mustard.
BouneschluppA green bean soup with potato and smoked sausage, the national soup of Luxembourg.
Browse all Luxembourg recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven, Mould or tin.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a Luxembourg meal
Judd mat GaardebounenDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Quetschentaart?
A shortcrust tart of sharp quetsch plums under a cinnamon dusting, Luxembourg's classic late-summer bake.
Where does Quetschentaart come from?
Quetschentaart is a Luxembourgish dish from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
Can Quetschentaart be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Quetschentaart recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Quetschentaart safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Quetschentaart take to make?
About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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