A simple peach tart

Since peaches are in season, I am buying them up like crazy at the farmers' markets. I want to eat so many peaches that I'm sick of them until next year, because there's no way I'm buying them during the off-season. You can't beat $1/pound for sweet, juicy peaches that are just picked off the tree.

Last year I made a peach cake and this year I've already made peach scones and of course the standard peach crisps, but I wanted to try something new that I hadn't seen on Pinterest or any other of my go-to recipe sites.

A few years ago I made Barefoot Contessa's French Apple Tart for the first time. It was so good that even my husband, the one who doesn't eat cooked fruit, liked it. It is a buttery crust topped with granny smith apples and sugar - no cinnamon or other spices that are usually so overpowering. The apples were tender but not mushy, and the whole thing was just perfect together. I had been thinking about making that recipe again, but then I realized that I had a lot of peaches to use up, so why not try making a peach tart instead? It seems like an apple recipe should work with other stone fruits (peaches, plums, pears, etc) as well. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. The peaches held up just fine and tasted wonderful with the buttery crust. My husband didn't love it, but that's not saying much since I've only had success with one cooked-fruit dessert!

The crust is so easy to make and roll out; it's blended in a food processor and has a perfect consistency so it doesn't fall apart. The nice thing is that you don't need any special tart pan - just a regular cookie sheet is fine. The crust is rolled out into a rectangle then topped with the peeled and sliced peaches. Sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter, then bake. While the tart is baking it looks like something is wrong because the juices run and burn on the pan (which is why you have to use a Silpat or parchment paper), but the tart doesn't burn. To make it look shiny once it's out of the oven, use thinned-out apricot jelly. I actually didn't have apricot jelly, so I used agave nectar instead, which gave it the shine I was looking for.

The tart is perfect at room temperature and I don't think it even needs ice cream or whipped cream. It is just right as is. I only wish I had some leftover to eat with my coffee the next morning.

Arrange the peach slices overlapping each other diagonally.

Sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter.



Don't worry if the juices burn!


Peach Tart (adapted from Ina Garten's French Apple Tart)

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup ice water

For the peaches:

5-6 medium peaches

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced

1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam

2 tablespoons water, rum, or peach brandy

 

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the peaches.

Peel the peaches and cut them in half, removing the pit. Slice the peaches crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of peaches diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with peach slices. Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the peaches start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The peach juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the water or rum and brush the peaches and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.