Peach And Almond Tart Food

PEACH FRANGIPANE TART

Steps:

• Dice the butter as small as you can. If you dip your knife in the flour for the pastry and keep covering the butter with flour as you dice, you will find it easier.
• Put the diced butter and flour in the food processor and pulse until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt, the sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest and pulse again - it should almost immediately adhere into a ball.Remove from the processor, lay it on a sheet of cling film or foil, and lightly press and shape into a compact log (touch it as little as possible). Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour - the longer it rests, the less it will shrink later.
• Butter and flour a 24cm tart tin thoroughly. Unwrap and cut the pastry log into thin even slices and use to cover the bottom and sides of the tin with just touching or slightly overlapping slices. Keep a bowl of ice cubes and some paper towels handy to chill and dry your hands as you work.
• Pat the pastry lightly with cold fingers so the base is even, and make the shell a little thicker round the sides, ensuring it reaches all the way up since it may shrink. To even the base, run an ice cube quickly across, from the centre to the edges. Chill again.
• Tip the almonds and 50g/2oz sugar into the food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Dice the butter and add to the almonds with the flour. Process again until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg and eg yolk and process briefly until soft and creamy. Add the crushed amaretti and briefly whizz again. Chill.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.Drop the peaches into a pan of boiling water, lift out after a few seconds then cool in cold water. Peel, halve and stone the peaches, sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and leave for 5 minutes. Spread th amaretti cream in the base of the pastry case. Put the peach halves on top, rounded side up, cutting them if necessa to fill the centre. Scatter with the almonds
• Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden. Check the filling with a toothpick (which should come out barely flecked) and ensure the pastry is shrinking away from the tin. Dust with icing sugar and serve a room temperature, with a glass of Tuscan Vin Santo.

PEACH AND ALMOND TART RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190c/375f. Place the peaches cut side-down in a large oven-proof dish. Mix the caster sugar, boiling water, cut vanilla pod and amaretto in a jug until the sugar has dissolved, then pour the mixture over the peaches. Cover the dish with tinfoil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes (5 minutes longer if your peaches are really hard). Take out the oven, remove the foil and leave to cool in the dish.
• For the frangipane, place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat it together with a wooden spoon for a couple of minutes - until it goes paler. Stir in the eggs until mixed, then stir in the ground almonds. Place in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
• Once the peaches have cooled, turn the oven down to 160c/320f. Line a 30cm flan tin with the short crust pastry. Trim the edges until they're flush with the edge of the pan (I needed two sheets to cover the whole tin completely).
• Take one of the peaches out of the cooking liquor and dab is slightly on a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Place, cut side down in the uncooked pastry case. Repeat with the remaining peaches. You can discard the cooking liquor (or save it in a clean jar - it makes a great cocktail with some vodka, ice and lemonade/soda water.....).
• Once all the peaches are arranged in the pastry case, use a teaspoon to dot blobs of the frangipane around the peaches - make sure you use it all.
• Place in the oven to cook for 45-55 minutes - until dark golden brown.
• Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Then place the apricot jam or marmalade in a bowl with a teaspoon of water and microwave it for a few second to loosen it up. Give it a mix, then brush it all over the tart. Sprinkle the almonds on top, then remove from the flan case and serve with thick cream.
• Serve warm or cold - it tastes amazing either way.

EASY PEACH & ALMOND TART

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until big enough to line a 23cm tart tin with an overhang. Line the tin with pastry, gently folding overhanging pastry down the outside of the tin, then prick all over with a fork. Line with baking parchment; sit a 20cm sandwich tin on top (it should fit snugly). Fill with baking beans, then blind-bake for 20-25 mins until the sides are set. Remove the beans, tin and paper and cook for 10-15 mins more until golden, risen and crisp. Cool a little, then trim the overhang and press down any risen bits.
• Lower the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Beat together the filling ingredients, spoon into the tin and top with the peaches. Scatter with 1 tbsp caster sugar and extra flaked almonds, then bake for 40 mins until puffed up and golden, with a slight wobble in the centre. Cool to room temperature and serve with crème fraîche.

PEACH PUFF PASTRY TART WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 3mm thickness. Cut a circle about 33cm in diameter with a sharp knife, using a plate or anything round as a guide. Using the rolling pin, transfer to the baking tray and score a circle 1cm in from the edge.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins until lightly puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and gently push the centre down with the back of a large spoon so that you have a flat base with a raised border.
• Meanwhile, halve and stone the peaches, then slice thinly. In a bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, ground almonds, egg, lemon zest, almond extract and sherry, if using. Spread the frangipane evenly over the pastry, leaving the border free. Top with the peach slices, neatly overlapping them in circles. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar and the flaked almonds.
• Bake for 30 mins, then turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, cover the tart lightly with foil and cook for a further 30-40 mins. The frangipane should puff up between the peaches and be golden brown and set in the centre. Cool on a wire rack, then slice and serve. Leftovers will keep for 1 day.