Fresh Peach Tarts

Peach season is just weeks away and there is nothing I love more than peach cobbler. My mom used to make them almost every day in the summer. Since I don't always need a whole cobbler or pie, here's a way you can make just the number you need. Don't be afraid of making pastry crust. This one is super fast, super simple and it is just about no-fail. There is hardly any way to make it wrong; it is always flaky, buttery, and so delicious! Use it with any fruit but reduce the amount of butter in the filling if your fruit is really juicy. You can easily double the recipe if you want to make a larger amount and you can make the tarts as large or small as you like.

FRESH PEACH TARTS

Makes 2-3 tarts

For the pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar plus 1 teaspoon reserved

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons ice water plus a few drops (you may need a few drops more if the dough seems a bit dry)

For the filling:

1 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, sliced (4-5 medium peaches, overly ripened peaches can be a bit too juicy so just ripe peaches actually work best)

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice or substitute Grand Marnier or orange liqueur

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into small pieces

1 tablespoon orange marmalade, heated for a finishing glaze

Egg Wash (optional)

1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter, a little at a time, pulsing between additions until the butter is the size of peas. Then, turn the food processor on and add the ice water all at once through the feed tube; stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough out onto a piece of floured plastic wrap. Just make it into a round, don’t over work the dough because it will be tough. Wrap the round with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

When you are ready to make the tarts, lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Use a biscuit cutter or a knife to cut 2-3 smaller circles. I like to use a small saucer as a guide and cut around it. Wrap it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a baking sheet.

For the filling, peel and cut the peaches. I like the look of slices- I usually slice a medium peach into 8-12 slices. Put the peaches in a bowl and toss with the orange zest and orange juice or orange liqueur.  Next, add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the cold butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until the peaches are well coated. Spoon the peaches onto the crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all the way around.  Gently fold the border over the peaches to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Finish the crust with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Simply beat the egg well and lightly brush it over the crust before baking. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar.

Bake the tarts for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is golden and the peaches are tender.

Make a finishing glaze by putting a teaspoon of orange marmalade and a few drops of water in a heat-proof bowl and microwave for a few seconds. Lightly brush the top of the peaches with the orange marmalade. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. 

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