Peach Tart with Almond Cream

Peach... This is the fruit that is often used as a proper name for a child. And oh, how I perfectly understand why! With its gentle velvety skin, they really remind us of a young child's soft fuzzy cheek. Peaches earned so much respect, so there is a special colour named on them. With outstanding aroma and flavour and perfect look, I would call the peach "the Queen" of all fruit.

Peach tart is a desert I was hoping to make for a while and never found the right way of doing it. Until I found the recipe of Sebastin Rouxel. His deserts are always perfected with such a delicacy and he honours all the ingredients with precision. I needed a really special shell to lay the peaches in. This was a perfect choice. Lining the crust with a layer of almond cream enhances the flavour of the peaches and thickens the taste of the tart. 

for the pâte sucrée:

(adapted from the recipe of Sebastin Rouxel)

375 g all purpose flour

46 g powdered sugar I

94 g powdered sugar II

47 g almond meal

225 g unsalted butter at room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Combine the flour, first quantity of the sugar - (sugar I) and almond meal into a bowl. Cream the butter with a paddle attachment of a mixer, or using a wooden spoon. Add the sugar II and incorporate well until the mixture becomes fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Beat to incorporate. Add the dry mixture in two additions, beating well after each one. Add the egg and beat just to combine.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic foil. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or overnight. You could freeze one half for about 1 month. You will only use one half recipe for 20 cm (8") tart. 

for the almond cream:

73 g almond flour

7 g flour

73 g unsalted butter at room temperature

73 g confectioners' sugar

1 small egg

Combine the almond meal and the flour in a small bowl. Cream the butter, adding the sugar and mixing until well combined and creamed. Add the almond mixture in two additions. Add the egg and mix until just combined. Cover well with plastic wrapping foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. 

for the peaches:

3-4 peaches, well washed and dried out

Tailoring:

Take the almond cream out of the fridge. Preheat the oven to 175 C.

Roll out the dough and cover the tart pan carefully, filling well the edges at the bottom. Place in the fridge until preparing the peaches. 

Cut the peaches in halves. Remove the pit and cut each half in thin wedges. Try to keep the cut halves for easier spreading the fruit over the tart. 

Remove the tart shell out of the fridge. Spread the almond cream over the crust. Arrange the outer ring of peach slices. If you wish, you could continue arranging the inner rings facing the same direction. I used the opposite direction for each ring of peaches. Finish at the centre. Try to overlap the slices well. During baking, the fruit will shrink a bit and you would not want to finish with gaps between the slices. 

Bake for about 40 min, until the crust is well baked. Leave the baked tart to cool well in the pan. Serve at room temperature with vanilla (or peach) ice cream and fresh fruit.