So, let’s call this a Parfait! and a bonus. The peach filling is the Parfait! bit – basically the same as I use for Peach Galette – but oh my, the crust! I loved the savory shortcrust, if not the filling, when I made that anchovy roll thing; so I’d been looking around for a guidance about making a version suitable for dessert.
The accepted convention for a basic shortcrust is that you use half as much fat as you do flour, but I am going all pâte à foncer and working in a bit of egg, too.
INGREDIENTS
Shortcrust:
•1 cup flour
•4 tbsp butter
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•1 egg yolk
•1 tsp sugar
•Ice water (about 3 tbsp)
Filling:
•1/2 cup brown sugar
•1/2 cup sugar
•1/4 cup cornstarch
•3/4 tsp ginger
•1/2 tsp cinnamon
•1-1/4 tsp vanilla
•5 peaches peeled and sliced
•2 tbsp lemon juice
First, the pastry. Cut the butter into small cubes and stash in the freezer for 10 minutes or so along with a glass of water.
Combine the flour, sea salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine.
Add the cold butter chunks from the freezer and pulse until well cut in and the dough is the consistency of a coarse meal.
Add the egg yolk and blend until you have a soft dough – it will still be quite dry, but bits will have started to come together.
With the processor running, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time just until the dough pulls together into a ball. There may be little bits of dough lying about the processor bowl, just press them into the larger bit.
Press the dough into a sort of a flattened disk, wrap in plastic or waxed paper, and stash in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, tho’ a classic pâte à foncer calls for 4 hours.
I split the difference and let mine rest for 2 hours while I was out and about doing other things.
However long you let your dough chill, when ready, place it on a board lined with waxed paper, then cover with a second sheet of waxed paper, and roll out.
I should probably note here that this amount of dough was just enough to line my tart pan, so if you are planning to use it for a standard pie, I’d try 1-1/2 cup flour, 6 tbsp butter, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 1 whole egg, 1-1/2 tsp sugar, and however much ice water you need to pull it all together.
Fit the dough into a tart pan, and now it’s on to the peaches!
Stir together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large skillet over low heat.
Add the peaches, toss to coat, and continue to cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugars have melted into a syrup.
When the mixture begins to bubble, let it simmer for 5 minutes, still stirring, until the syrup has thickened.
Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, and turn into the tart shell – which I placed on a foil-lined rimmed pan, just in case of bubbling over in the oven.
Speaking of the oven, I baked this tart in a hot 375º oven for about 40 minutes, until the filling was even thicker, and the tart edges lightly browned. Other recipes I’ve seen call for 15 minutes at 350º, then another 20 or so at 325º – seems kinda fussy to me – and some say 375º for just 30 minutes; so you could play around with temperature and time to see what works best for you.
Remove the tart from the oven – I didn’t have any bubbling over, but better safe than sorry! – and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Now that’s what I call a peach tart!