Rustic Peach Tart with Berries
This tart is the essence of summertime! Sometimes they are called strip tarts. If you make it with store-bought puff pastry, make sure it is made with all butter. In San Francisco, I prefer puff pastry made by Dufour.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. puff pastry
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp. cream
- 3 Tbs. soft butter
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 6 ripe peaches
- red currant jam
- 1 Tbs. water or Kirsh
- 1 cup sweetened whipped cream
Directions
Roll out to about 1/8-inch thick, trim off edges, cut out a rectangle 6 x 14 inches. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with the egg yolks mixed with the cream. Cut four 1/2-inch wide strips from remaining pastry (two 14 inches long, two 5 inches long). Place flat on rectangle to form a border. Chill well. Prick bottom of shell all over with a fork. Brush the trim with egg yolk mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until shell is golden brown, pricking bottom of tart 3-4 times during first 15-20 minutes to prevent it from puffing. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
In the meantime, drop each peach into boiling water for 30 seconds, remove and peel off the skin. Cut each peach into halves if small, or quarters if large, discarding the pit. Place the peaches, cut side up on a roasting pan, sprinkle with sugar, and roast in a 450 degree oven until the edges have darkened.
To make the filling, mix together the soft butter, with the sugar and the ground almonds. Spread over cooked shell. Cover with the roasted peaches, paint with a little red current jam melted with the water or Kirsh. Serve with sweetened whipped cream on the side.