Peach Tart

Basic tart recipe – I will attempt to be detailed enough for people who don’t just know how to make a tart.  I like a challenge.  This recipe makes enough for two 8 inch tarts.

Recipe ingredients are first, followed by instructions.  Gather all the ingredients before you start.

Equipment you will need: Food processor with the metal blade.  Get the food processor bowl set up, with the blade.

Find a stiff spatula or wooden spoon for getting the dough out (using your hands for this is a bad idea).

1.0 Tart Crust

Ingredients:

• 245 grams       _______________ All-Purpose Flour (about 2 Cups)
• ¹⁄₄ tsps ____________________ salt (which is about 2 pinches of salt)
• 75 grams ____________________ confectioners sugar 
• 50 grams ____________________ almond flour (you can leave it out without it mattering)
• 140 grams (~1 ¹⁄₃ sticks)  __________________ butter (cut butter into small cubes – there is more butter in the freezer)
• 1 ________________________ egg
• 1 TBSP ___________________ vodka (it makes the dough crisper)
• 1 tsp ______________________ vanilla extract 

Note: Measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl by placing it on the scale, turning the scale on, and hitting the tar button, or the zero button, then after each thing you measure, hit that button again, to get back to zero.

Instructions:

• Dump the measured flour, nut flour, sugar, and salt from the bowl you weighed it in, into the food processor.
• Put the lid on – turning till it all clicks – it won’t work if it isn’t sealed.
• Blend, pulsing with the “off/pulse” button.
• Stop, and take the lid off to add the butter.
• Close, and pulse again, this time until the mixture starts to look sandy.
• Blend, till it’s nice and sandy looking.
• Add in the egg (crack the egg into a bowl first, to avoid getting egg shell in the dough).
• Also add the vanilla and vodka.
• Pulse until it starts to form a ball.
• Use the spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap.
• Divide the dough into two even pieces and wrap them up.  Put them in the fridge for at least half an hour.  (This is the part where I usually go on a bike ride)
• After the dough is chilled, find a tart pan.  
• Prep this pan by rubbing a piece of butter all over the inside, especially the corners.
• Once the pan is buttered, lay out plastic wrap on the counter, two pieces wide and over-lapping.
• Get the dough out, and unwrap it.
• Place it in the center of the plastic wrap, and cover the dough with two more pieces of plastic wrap – so the dough is sandwiched between them.
• Roll the dough out.
• You may need to lift the plastic wrap occasionally to let the air out, and so the dough won’t stretch the plastic wrap when it gets stuck.
• Try to roll it out evenly, and don’t push too hard on the dough.  Keep rolling until the dough is an inch bigger than the pan.
• This is the tricky part.
• Put the tart pan on a sheet pan, for stability.
• Pull the plastic wrap slowly off the top of the dough, then lay it back down.  Using another flat edged sheet pan or drapped over the rolling pin, flip the dough over (with the plastic wrap) and unstick the other side of the plastic wrap.
• With the dough over the rolling pin, with the plastic covered side on the rolling pin, line the dough up with the pan, and place it on the pan, lightly.
• Lift the edges of the dough up to help it settle into the pan.
• Fold the excess over to make the edges thick.
• Cut any excess overhang and use it to patch any holes.
• Press the dough gently into the corners.
• Get a fork out, and poke holes in the dough.
• Get a piece of tin foil out, and another small piece of butter.  Butter the shiny side (one side is shinier than the other) of the tin foil.
• Carefully place the tin foil on the tart shell, and press it into the corners.
• Place the tart in the freezer.
• Turn the oven on to 375°
• Prepare the fruit filling (recipe below)
• After the tart shell has been in the freezer for at least 30 minutes – place it in the oven – tin foil and all – for 20 minutes.
• Set timer for 20 minutes.

2.0 Peach filling

Ingredients:

• ~10 ____________________ Peaches (small)
• 1 TBSP_______________ lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• ¹⁄₄ Cups_______________ sugar
• 1 TBSP _________________ cornstarch 

Instructions:

• Cut the peaches in quarters.  (Scrub the fuzz off first, if you care)
• Place them in a bowl.
• Toss with the lemon juice
• Sprinkle the sugar and cornstarch on.
• Once the 20 minutes on the crust is done, carefully remove the tin foil.  If it seems like it is sticking, pull the edges up from the side, towards the middle, and let it cool a little before removing the foil all the way.
• Scoop the fruit into the shell with a slotted spoon.
• Place the tart back in the oven.
• Set time for 15 minutes.  Check it at 15 minutes, if you want it darker, set the timer for another 5 minutes.
• Let the tart cool before cutting it.