Nectarine Rose Tarts Food

NECTARINE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Peel the nectarines and cut into slices. Toss with the lemon juice and a few pinches of sugar if the fruit is not too sweet. If the fruit is sweet and fresh skip the sugar. Set aside.
• Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and eggs and beat until combined.
• Spoon batter into a 10 inch pie pan (it will look like there is not enough batter but there is). Place the nectarine slices on top of the batter packing them in tightly. Sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and some sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
• Bake 50 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Cool. Refrigerate if desired. Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on top if desired.

NECTARINE TART

Steps:

• Blend flour, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl or food processor. Dice 8 tablespoons of the butter. Use a pastry blender or two knives to blend flour mixture and butter, or pulse them together in a food processor to make a crumbly mixture. Beat the egg yolk with 3 tablespoons cold water. Dribble it over the flour mixture, then stir or pulse slowly until the mixture starts clumping together. A bit more water may be necessary. Gather dough in a loose ball and form into a disk on a lightly floured surface.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough and line a 10-inch loose-bottom tart pan. Line pastry with a sheet of foil and spread pastry weights or dry beans on top. Bake 12 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter, cooking it on low until it turns a light nut brown. Pit fruit (except figs) and cut in eighths or, if fruit is small, fourths. After 12 minutes, remove foil and weights from pastry. Return pastry to oven and continue baking until it is lightly browned, another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pastry from oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees.
• Brush pastry with preserves. Arrange fruit in tight concentric circles, starting by placing it around the perimeter, skin side down, against the vertical sides of the pastry and standing it up as much as possible. Brush with melted butter. Dust with remaining sugar. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes, until edges have browned but fruit has not collapsed. Cool before serving with crème fraîche.

NECTARINE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut 1 nectarine in half. Quarter one nectarine half and the remaining 6 nectarines.
• Combine sugar, water and juice in a 12-inch stainless steel skillet. Cook for 2 minutes or until sugar is golden (do not stir). Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Let stand 3 minutes.
• Place nectarine half, cut side down, in center of sugar mixture; arrange nectarine quarters, cut side down, around center. Return pan to medium heat.
• Cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly (do not stir). Remove from heat; let stand 3 minutes.
• Roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough over nectarine mixture, fitting dough over nectarine mixture, fitting dough between nectarines and skillet.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
• Carefully invert tart onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.
• 183 calories per serving.

NECTARINE AND BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• To make tart, place flour, salt and sugar in processor and pulse several times.
• Cut butter into tiny pieces and pulse until mixture looks like bread crumbs.
• Add water and bring dough into ball.
• Knead lightly and place in plastic and chill at least 20 minutes.
• In large bowl whisk sugar with cornstarch and gentle toss in nectarines (and optional blueberries.
• Sprinkle with lemon juice. Roll out dough on lightly floured board to about a 12-inch round.
• Fold in half and then half again and place on ungreased baking sheet. Unfold.
• Pour fruit and juice into pastry and mound in middle. Gently fold up edges around filling leaving 6-inch opening in middle. Pinch folds together and brush with water sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of sugar.
• Bake in preheated 375°F oven 35-45 minutes until golden.
• Note: You can easily substitute blackberries for blueberries in this recipe.