In the summer, I like to cook simple, quick meals that don't involve a lot of oven-on time. That said, I seem to make a lot more desserts.
Summer's wild blueberries, raspberry bushes discovered walks, PYO strawberry farms, Ontario peaches and plums make it impossible to resist making dessert.
Early summer is berry season. We generally get carried away when we pick strawberries and come home with about 4 more baskets of berries than we needed.
There are plenty of ways to solve an over-abundance of strawberries:
Strawberry shorcake cookies.
Strawberries with cinnamon dumplings.
Strawberry milkshakes.
But now it's peach time. Few things taste quite so quintessentially summertime as peach pie.
These peach tarts are perfect.
A bright yellow dough of cornflour, cornmeal, butter and egg yolks is rustically formed around a sloppy, sweet mix of ripe peaches and cinnamon.
Eat this one alone or with some whipped cream on top.
PS- Now would be a perfect time to make Oven Roasted Peach-Tomato Pasta... Just incase you needed dinner inspiration.
Rustic Peach Tarts
(adapted from Good to the Grain cookbook)
1 Cup corn flour
1 Cup All purpose flour
1/2 Cup fine cornmeal
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher or coarse salt
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 egg yolks
6 Peaches, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbps flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Whisk the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment,
add the butter and turn the mixture speed to low
and mix to break up the butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the butter is as coarse as cornmeal.
Add the heavy cream and egg yolks and mix until combined. The dough will look crumbly but when pinched between your fingers, it will come together.
Divide dough roughly into 8 pieces. Roll out into 5 inch thinnish slabs on a lighly floured board.
In a med bowl, combine peaches, honey, cinnamon and flour.
Add about 1/3 C peaches to the centre of each slab.
Fold the edge of the dough toward the peaches and up, to create a ruffled edge; continue around the perimeter, letting the ruffles be their bad irregular selves. Slide a bench scraper or spatula under the tart and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough.
Freeze the tarts on their tray for at least 1 hour to firm them up before baking.
Bake the tarts: Preheat over to 375°F. Bake tarts, still frozen,
for about 35 minutes or until the edges of the tarts are brown and the peach is bubbling and thick.
Serve warm or at room temperature. The tarts keep in an airtight container.
