Peach-O-Rama Tart

It’s Peach-O-Rama at the Metropolitan Market by my house, meaning they have the best peaches around! I have honestly never had a peach that was so sweet and juicy... they are unbelievable. I had been wanting to make something with these peaches, and I happened upon this recipe in Food and Wine magazine while at the dentist waiting to get a filling. I must have been trying to take my mind off of what was to come. It is called “Creamy Peach Tart with Smoky Almond Crust.” It sounded pretty easy to make and really good, but I was skeptical of the vanilla wafers in the crust. I usually don’t like going out and buying something like vanilla wafers to use in just one recipe, but I thought I’d give it a try.

I decided to make it with non-smoked almonds in the crust because that’s what I had, although the smoked almonds sound interesting. From previous experience of baking with cream cheese, I decided to put lemon zest in the filling. I think it is necessary when using cream cheese to bring a brightness to the rich cheese. I also added a little vanilla extract to the filling. Topped with Peach-O-Rama peaches, this tart was amazing! It is similar to a cheesecake, but what I liked was that the filling wasn’t too thick and you could taste both the crust and the peaches. I think that this tart would be excellent with berries as well.

Creamy Peach Tart

Serves 8

2 cups vanilla wafer cookies (5 ounces)
½ cup almonds (I used raw almonds, but smoked would be good too)
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sour cream
1 egg
Zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 firm, ripe medium peaches, peeled and cut into thin wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine vanilla wafers, almonds, and 1 tablespoon sugar in food processor and process until fine. Add melted butter and pulse until evenly moistened.

Press crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan. Use a measuring cup to flatten out the bottom and press filling against the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, until set.

Wipe out food processor and add cream cheese, sour cream, egg, lemon zest, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar and process until smooth.

Pour the custard into the crust and bake for 15 minutes until set. Let cool slightly and transfer to the freezer to chill, about 15 minutes. If you have more time, transfer to the refrigerator to cool.

In a bowl, toss the peaches with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Arrange the peaches on the top of the custard. Remove the ring of the springform pan, cut into wedges, and serve.