"What makes this tart Alsatian?"

That's a question posed to me after they sampled my dessert for a dinner party. Hmmm? Quetsche or plums, it reminds me of late summer early fall; almonds, pate sucree a hint of sugar and cinnamon. More specifically, it brings back memories of my childhood in Alsace. We lived in a  town called Wissembourg until my family emigrated to America. Years later serving in the U.S. Army, I traveled to the the border regions of Germany and Switzerland, where similar confections appear in bakeries and in homes. The difference is sometimes they add custard to the plums, or the dough is called murbteig rather then pate sucree. But these are close cousins of quetsches and zwetschge, depending on what part of the Rhine you're standing. Regardless, I love their simplicity, a crust filled with the sweet, sour, and pleasing taste of plums and the delight it gives me when I eat a slice, or two, hmmm or three!