Apricot/ Plum Tart

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, chopped and chilled
1/3 cup ice water.

For the tarts:
2 pounds ripe unpeeled plums or apricots, halved, pits removed
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
½ cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream (optional).

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, quickly work half of the butter into the flour until it becomes the texture of coarse oatmeal. Work in the rest of the butter until the biggest pieces are the size of large blueberries.
2. In stages, drizzle in the ice water and toss. The dough should be ropy and rough. Stop adding water when there are still a few bits of dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. Gather the dough into 2 balls, flatten into discs and wrap each in plastic. Freeze for 30 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the balls into 1/8-inch-thick circles, cover and chill until solid.
4. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Set the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Slice the plums into 1/3-inch thick crescents.
6. Place the dough rounds on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Using a mortar and pestle or a small sealable plastic bag and mallet, crush the almonds until ground. Combine the almonds with ¼ cup of sugar and the flour. Leaving a 2-inch border, sprinkle the mixture evenly over both tarts. Arrange the fruit slices, overlapping one on the other, in concentric circles over the sugar mixture. Top the fruits of both tarts with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar.
8. Fold the border over, crimping to make a pastry rim around the fruit. Brush the rim with melted butter and drizzle with sugar. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and serve at room temperature or warm with, if you choose, ice cream. Makes 2 8-inch tarts. Each tart serves 4 to 6. –Jill Santopietro for The Boston Globe.