Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
6 peaches, washed and sliced
100 g (3½ oz/⅓ cup) apricot jam
Pouring cream or a dollop of crème fraîche, to serve
For the Pastry:
250 g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose)
Flour, plus extra for dusting
20 g (1 oz/1½ tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, diced
1½ teaspoons cold water
For the Almond filling:
200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, softened
200 g (7 oz/scant 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs
200 g (7 oz/2 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)
Zest of 1 lemon
Method
First make the pastry. Place the flour in a food processor along with the sugar, whole egg and yolk and diced butter. Blitz. Add the cold water and continue to process until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
For the filling, in a large bowl, beat the softened butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the ground almonds, until you have a soft paste that quite easily drops from a spoon. Stir in the lemon zest.
Generously flour your work surface and roll out the pastry large enough to line a 23 cm (9 in) loose-bottomed fluted tart tin (pan). Line the tart tin with the pastry, pressing firmly into the sides with your thumb. Or as pictured, line ten 8 cm (3 in) individual fluted tart cases. Chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C/375°F/Gas 5). Remove the tart case from the fridge and prick the pastry all over with a fork. Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans.
Bake blind on the middle shelf of the oven for 10–15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for another 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked through. Ifmaking individual tartlets, reduce the cooking time to 5–10 minutes and 5 minutes.
Remove the tart case from the oven and pour in the almond filling.
Arrange the peach slices decoratively on top and return to the middle shelf of the oven. Cook for 35–40 minutes more or untilthe surface is golden brown and the top is firm to the touch.
If making individual tartlets, again reduce the cooking time to 15–20 minutes.
In a small pan, heat the apricot jam until runny, then use a pastry brush to brush it all over the surface of the tart. Leave the tart to cool on a wire rack.
To serve
Serve (sliced or as individual tartlets), with a jug of pouring cream or a dollop of crème fraîche on the side.
Extracted from SEA & SHORE: Recipes and stories from a kitchen in Cornwall by Emily Scott (Hardie Grant, £26)