Peach and Frangipane Tart

 
Tarts and pies are something which I m most comfortable making. By "comfortable" I mean, not only I love the combination of crumbly pastry with fruits (or anything for that matter), I really enjoy the task and process of making a pastry dough, making the filling and then devouring it hot out of the oven....sometimes straight from the baking tray (what can I say??? It looks So yummy and inviting).

Last Friday we got our first assignment for the course ( remember the baking course which I've joined and can't stop talking about in each and every post of mine). We were asked to make anything which we are most comfortable making and sorta our "signature dish". We were free to either cook or bake or to throw together ingredients. Whatever our heart's desire.

As soon as the announcement about the assignment was made, the class was abuzz with yakiti yak yak as everyone and his/her cousin was full of ideas about what he/she's making. It was a massive task for Shashi M'am to put a firm rein on everybody's thoughts and to get it flow in a somewhat organised stream. Between 24 of us, we got to make 12 dishes and we had 2 hours to prep, make and showcase our dish.

So on Friday we saw an awesomely amazing collection of dishes ranging from a Gatte Ka Saag to Paneer Masala and from Waldroff Salad to made-from-scratch Nachos Salad. We had Quesadillas, Spinach Corn bake, baked Eggplant with feta, mini vegetable tarts and Ravioli with burnt garlic butter. Then there were regional favorites like Handvo, spicy Kachoris and Khandvi.

And then there were desserts....heavenly vanilla cupcakes with buttercream, chocolate mousse and....Peach and Frangipane Galette. Any guesses what I've made? Duh...uh..Of course the galette.

I always love to be a part of "dessert group". Don't get me wrong but with sweets there's that instant gratification and the "wow" factor associated. I m not taking away any glory or greatness from the savory dishes. But desserts do have the ability to impress and to extract praise from the onlookers.

I love to make galettes, which are full of rustic appeal. A simple free form pastry filled with fresh seasonal fruit has got to be one of my all time favourite desserts.

For this post, I've made the tart using the same ingredients, which I've used to make the galette for my assignment. Only difference being, I've to pre-bake the tart shell  before filling in with the frangipane and fruits.


Taste wise the difference is none, only the presentation is different. The other reason for making it in a galette form for my assignment is, the time. I didn't have enough time to pre-bake, cool and then re-bake with the filling and so I decided to go with the free form galette.

In both the tarts, the pastry was nice and crisp, despite all the fresh fruit it held. The basic recipe is same as I used in my Fresh Fig and Frangipane Tart. Only difference being the use of peaches instead of figs. 

Peach and Frangipane Tart
Ingredients:

Frangipane
75 grams whole almonds (about 1/2 cup)
75 grams sugar, you can use half granulated sugar and half confectioner’s sugar, or just all granulated sugar (about 1/8 cup granulated plus 1/4 cup confectioner’s, or just 1/3 cup granulated)
75 grams butter at room temperature
1 large egg
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).  Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and place them in the oven.  Roast them for about 10 minutes, or until slightly toasted and fragrant.  Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
Put the cooled almonds and the sugar into a food processor and process until fine.  Add the butter and the egg and pulse until well-combined.  If you don’t want to use it right away, divide the frangipane into four equal parts, wrap each tightly in plastic. They will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, and up to a month in the freezer.

Short crust Pastry
200 grams all purpose flour
2-3 tablespoon icing sugar
100 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk, beaten
ice water to combine the dough 
Method:
Mix the sugar and flour together. Blend in the cold butter and the egg yolk with a pastry cutter or with two forks. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, add the ice cold water, a spoonfull at a time, until the dough is just combined. Let it rest in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Peach Tart
(Makes one 9" tart )
about 4 large peaches, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
Whole of the frangipane above
Icing sugar for dusting
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon milk
one 9" short crust pastry dough

Method:
For the galette

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).  Roll out your pastry dough to about 10-inch diameter – more or less won’t harm anything. Place the rolled dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the frangipane on the dough, leaving about 1 inch parameter around the outer edge of the dough.  Slice the peaches and arrange them in pretty circles to cover the frangipane. Fold the edges in, pinching a little to make sure they stick. Brush the dough with eggwash made by whisking the egg yolk and milk together and give it a good shower of icing sugar. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.




For the Tart
Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin  with flour. Using light strokes and applying even pressure, roll out the pastry, giving it a quarter turn and flipping it over from time to time. This will prevent it from sticking and helps to keep it aerated. Continue until the pastry is the size and shape required. Make sure to roll out 5-7 cm larger then the size of the tart tin.
Transfer the pastry to your lightly greased flan or tart tin. Lightly press the pastry into the edges of the tin and into the flutes. Trim off the excess pastry with a knife. Rest the pastry case in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.
Prick all over the pastry base with a fork, to release the trapped air.
Line the flan or tart case with a parchment paper and fill with a layer of baking beans to weight the pastry down and prevent it from rising unevenly. Bake blind in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, then return the pastry case to the oven for 15 minutes until completely cooked. Cool on a wire rack. Your pastry case is now ready for use. Either use it at once or leave until cold, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Take out of the freezer about 20 minutes before filling.

Spread the frangipane on the shell and arrange the sliced peaches in pretty circles to cover the frangipane. Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Serve while still warm.