If you need a special dessert but don't want to make a cake, how about a peach tart? Not just a simple pie--which I would never turn down, either, by the way--the Summer Peach Tart I'm offering today has a slightly sweet, deeply crispy crust. The crust is easy to do in the food processor and can be made ahead. In fact, the crust needs a stint in the refrigerator (although the freezer will do, if you're short on time and need it chilled fast). The filling? Well, what could be better than fresh, juicy peaches and a scattering of sweet-tart blueberries (all peaches, you say? Go for it, just add another cup of peaches and omit the blueberries)? The tart is easy to do and oh, so special! Try it in lieu of a birthday cake! No one will miss the tons of sugary cake and icing when presented instead with a warm, fragrant, glistening Summer Peach Tart. Especially when that incredible peach tart is accompanied by creamy, cold vanilla ice cream.
Summer Peach Tart -- Makes 1 large tart
Dough
2 3/4 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Grated zest of a lemon
3/4 cup of butter cut into small (teaspoon or so) pieces
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk (save the white for something else)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Filling
2 cups of peeled, sliced peaches
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of washed, dried blueberries
Topping
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
2-3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest and pulse them a few seconds. Add the butter and pulse until smallish pieces form. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Dump the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper on the counter and gather it together with your hands. Separate the dough into two, roughly equal pieces, forming balls on two sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten out the balls into disks, wrap them well and refrigerate the disks for at least an hour.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spritz a tart pan (with a removable bottom) with non-stick cooking spray. Take one of the dough balls and roll it out into a circle a little larger than the tart pan. Put the dough into the bottom of the tart pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. The dough will be very thin. If it breaks, just squish it back into place with damp fingers. Combine the peaches, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl. Let them sit a few minutes while you make the top part of the pie. Pull the other dough ball from the refrigerator and roll it out into a circle. Cut out strips of dough. Pour the peach mixture into the prepared bottom tart shell. Smooth out the peaches and scatter on the blueberries. Lay strips of dough over the top of the filling. You can make a lattice, if you want, but I don't bother. I just lay the strips on top in a crisscross fashion. Beat the egg and a teaspoon of water and brush it over the top strips of dough. Sprinkle the dough with the turbinado (yes, it's fine if some gets on the fruit). Bake the tart for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let the tart cool for 15 minutes before serving it, preferably with vanilla ice cream.
