Peach Tart

This is the first 'proper' tart I made yesterday afternoon. The very first tart I tried was using crushed digestive biscuits as base...a no-bake tart actually. I am not the tart or pie person. Believe it or not, I have not eaten a big tart like this before...I don't see them selling at the neighbourhood bakery shops either. I did tried those little fruit tartlets...but I don't really find them appealing. I don't quite like the hard and dry pastry base with this thick, glossy, gel-like glaze that's always very generously brushed on top of the fruits.

So, why is it that I attempted to make this 18cm tart? Well, simply because I fell in love with the photo in a baking book. I would usually skip the part on tarts and pies whenever I browse thru baking books...but the picture of this beautiful pear tart really caught my eye and it doesn't have any glaze on top of the fruits! I couldn't wait any longer to try it out.

It requires some time to make this tart though...as you need to chill the pastry for 20 mins before baking, bake it for another 12mins or so...then let it cool completely, before you can add in the fillings (otherwise the fillings will melt away)..then it's another 35mins of baking time.


The step-by-step instructions and photos in the book are really useful. I was able to make the pastry base easily. I like reading these Japanese to Chinese translated cookbooks as they are always very detailed in their instructions. For this recipe, it's not necessary to use any baking weights or uncooked rice over the pastry when baking...hmmm, but I don't know the reason why?


The filling was spread evenly all over the base before lining the peaches (we prefer peaches over pears). Off it went into the oven.


Ok, here's my finished product...it's a far cry from the one in the cookbook right? I guess I should have pressed the peaches slightly further into the filling...the tart surface was rather flat...unlike the one illustrated in the cookbook...the filling is all beautifully puffed up, well above the pear slices. At first glance, I even thought it was made with a pastry covered on top.

The tart tasted really very good...I'll certainly recommend my baking friend to try it. This tart is full of this buttery flavour...and except for the edges and the rim, the pastry was not hard at all. I could even taste the ground almonds, which was added to both the pastry base and filling. After eating one slice...I was so tempted to reach out for another one!

I left the pie sitting on my kitchen table while I prepared dinner. When I was done cooking, I took a look at the pie and this was what I saw:

The sun was setting then...and the light was shinning all over the tart. It looked so lovely! It took me only less than 5 mins to snap at least 30 shots! With the long afternoon rays...the lights casted shadows all over the tart...making the surface looked really 3 dimensional.


This is my favourite shot! It makes the tart 'almost' comparable to the one shown in the cookbook :)

Ingredients:
(make one 18cm tart)

pastry:
80g cake flour (or plain flour)
20g grounded almond powder
30g caster sugar
40g unsalted butter , soften at room temperature
1 tablespoon (15g) lightly beaten egg

filling:
10g cake flour (or plain flour)
80g grounded almond powder
50g brown sugar
60g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoon Rum (I omitted this)
some canned peach slices, well drained
icing sugar for dusting

Method:
Pastry base:

1. Lightly grease an 18cm tart pan, set aside.
2. Toast almond powder at 100 degC for 10 mins. Stirring in between. Let cool.
3. Sieve flour and almond meal. (The grounded almond powder I used are too huge to pass thru the sieve...so I simply threw them back into the sieved flour!)
4. With a manual whisk, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
5. Add in the egg, very gradually, whisking the batter till well mixed each time the egg is added.
6. Sieve over the flour/almond meal mixture in 2 to 3 additions into the batter. Fold the mixture gently with a spatula.
7. Form and shape the pastry into a round ball. Roll out the pastry in between 2 sheets of cling wrap or baking paper (I used two sheets of cut-out plastic bags) to about 23cm in diameter.
8. Remove one side of the cling wrap or baking paper. Place it over the prepared tart pan. Mould the pastry into the tart pan, smoothing the edges and the rim carefully...if the pastry is too soft to handle, chill it in the fridge for 10~15 mins. (I didn't have any problem with it.)
9. Chill the pastry in the fridge for 20mins.
10. Use a fork to poke holes on the pastry. Brush the top of the rim with egg wash. (I did this with my fingers.) Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 10 ~12mins until the edges are slightly browned. Let cool completely.
    
    filling:
    
11. With a whisk, cream butter and brown sugar till the mixture turns fluffy. Add in the egg gradually, mix well each time the egg is added.
12. Add in grounded almond powder. Fold with a spatula till well incorporated. Sieve over the flour onto the mixture. Mix with a spatula. Add in rum and mix well.
13. Spread the filling onto the cooled pastry base. Ensure that the edges are filled up. Line with peach (or pear) slices. Make sure the slices are well drained. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 deg C for 30 ~ 35 mins, until the edges and filling turn golden brown. Let cool, and dust with some icing sugar.

Recipe Source: Delicious!! Baked Cakes, Ikuko Omori