The summer season is once more bringing along juicy stone fruit, and my personal favorite amongst these are fragrant flat peaches. And while it is wonderful to just eat them as they come, they also make a delicious summer tart. So it’s time for some baking again!

You can, alternatively, use any other type of stone fruit for the filling, such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums or cherries, or also mix different types. There is really no way this tart will not turn out absolutely delicious!

Sanni

 

Ingredients (for a Ø 22 cm tart mould):

For the crust:

• 70 grams of butter, room temperature
• 50 grams of icing sugar
• 150 grams of flour
• 20 grams of ground blanched almonds
• 25 grams of egg, room temperature
• pinch of fine salt
• For the egg wash: one egg yolk, whisked

For the filling:

• 10 flat peaches, some halved, some quartered, stones removed
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• several dashes of dark rum
• 1 vanilla pod
• 75 ml of milk
• 75 ml of cream
• 2 large eggs
• 90 grams of caster sugar
• 15 grams of maïzena

For the topping:

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of sliced blanched almonds
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of caster sugar

For serving (optional):

• some whipped cream or crème fraîche

Preparation:

Preparing the crust:

1. Whisk the butter until very creamy. Occasionally, hold over a hot water bath briefly while continuously whisking, remove immediately when it starts melting on the edges. Continue whisking until it adopts a glossy consistency (resembling hair pomade which is why this is called a „beurre pommade“ as well).
2. Incorporate the icing sugar with a baking spatula. Whisk vigorously until you obtain a creamy consistency.
3. Add the egg and the salt and continue to whisk vigorously.
4. Finally, incorporate the flour and the almond meal.
5. When completely smooth, form a flat disk and wrap into cellophane. Let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
6. At the end of the resting time, butter a tart mould.
7. Press down the dough over the bottom and sides of the mould. Cover with cellophane and let rest in the freezer for 30 minutes.
8. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (fan oven).
9. Remove the cellophane and place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough, and place baking weights on top. (Alternatively, prick the bottom with a fork allover.)
10. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven at the end of the baking time, brush the bottom of the crust with the egg wash and place in the hot oven for 1 more minute. Remove and set aside.
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius.

Preparing the filling:

1. Butter a flat oven pan, spread the peaches out over the bottom and sprinkle with some brown sugar and a dash of rum. Bake together with the crust for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Cut the vanilla pod in half and remove the seeds with the back of the knife. Pour the milk and the cream into a large saucepan or pot and add the vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil over medium temperature.
3. Whisk the eggs and the sugar in a large mixing bowl until very creamy and light. Then gradually add the maïzena and beat until smooth. Add a dash of rum and whisk some more.
4. When the milk start rising pour half of the hot milk over the egg mix while beating vigorously.
5. Then pour the egg and milk mix back into the saucepan or pot and heat up over medium heat while continuously beating (I use an electric hand mixer for this). When the mixture starts thickening and begins to just peal off the side of the pot, take off the heat.
6. Spread the peaches over the bottom of the crust. Loosen up the filling once more by whisking vigorously, pour it over the peaches and spread evenly.
7. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for approximately 30 to 40 minutes (until the filling is still just a little bit wobbly in the centre). Check regularly, the filling should not get too dark – reduce the temperature if required.

Preparing the topping:

1. In the meantime, prepare the topping by melting the butter in a pan.
2. Add the sliced almonds and sugar.
3. Allow the sugar to slightly caramelize.
4. Then remove from the heat.
5. Distribute over the top of the tart approximately 10 minutes before the end of the baking time.
6. Bake to the end, then remove from the oven and let cool down completely before serving.

Enjoy pure or with a dollop of whipped cream of crème fraîche.