Darien Cooks | written by: Carolyn Eddie
Serve warm or room temperature with cream, ice cream or on its own! / / photograph courtesy: Carolyn Eddie
As we are in the fabulous stage of summer when all the stone fruit—apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries, and plums—are piled high in the produce section, I have a need to share at least one peach recipe with you.
For a glorious two or three months, we can feast on beautifully ripe, locally-grown fruit. We can simply eat the fruit. We can add it to salads with combinations such as nectarine, parma ham, buffalo mozzarella, and mint or, my new favorite from Half Baked Harvest, peaches, cherries, cherry tomatoes, basil, balsamic, and burrata. We can also make fruit crumbles and pies. Or, we can make my new favorite, fabulous, and super easy fruit tart!
It is so adaptable …and did I mention easy? Oh, and super-impressive. You use the same method to make a savory version. Simply switch out the sliced peaches for thinly sliced zucchini (or courgettes, as we say in old Blighty) and omit the sugar. The method is exactly the same. This recipe really can be used for anything that can be sliced or layered. Adjust the sugar depending on the tartness of the fruit.
Ingredients
- One sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted (I use Pepperidge Farm)
- 2 large, beautifully ripe peaches, thinly sliced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 Tablespoons full-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- Apricot jam to glaze (optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
- Place defrosted pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- With a sharp knife, score a 1/2-inch border all the way around the pastry and prick the inside of the square with a fork.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the outside borders of the pastry square with the beaten egg; save egg you don’t use.
- Cook in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the pastry is golden and has puffed up.
- Release the air from the central square using a fork; recut the border and press down to form
a base for the filling. - Add the ricotta cheese and sugar to the remaining beaten egg and stir to combine.
- Pour the cheese mixture over the inside of the pastry, and spread to cover the inside square then arrange the sliced peaches in rows to completely cover the filling.
- Return to the oven and bake until the filling is set, around 25-30 minutes.
- Dilute a tablespoon of the apricot jam with a little boiling water.
- Remove the tart from oven, and, whilst still hot, lightly brush with the apricot jam.
CAROLYN EDDIE is a Darien Resident & Owner, Carolyn’s Absolutely Fabulous Events. For more of her recipes, check out carolynsabsolutelyfabulousevents.com and please remember to tag her on Instagram @carolynsfabfoods.
