RUSTIC NECTARINE TART
Recipe
Here’s a free-form tart that is perfectly imperfect. It has that rustic appeal. Use summer’s best stone fruit offerings – the nectarines can be replaced with plums, apricots or peaches. Mixing ground almonds with some fruit helps absorb some excess juices and forms a creamy layer between the lemony crust and the fruit on top. It’s delicious eaten warm or at room temperature.
Serves 8 - 10
To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar, lemon rind and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and lemon juice and pulse until the mixture just comes together (it’s a crumbly mixture, to test, press between fingers and it should form a dough). Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and push it together to form a 2cm thick disc. Place in a container in the fridge to rest for an hour.
Set aside 200g nectarines. Stir the zest and sugar in a medium sized bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Cut the remaining nectarines each in half and add to the bowl, tossing to coat in the mixture. Leave for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced).
Place the ground almonds, cinnamon, rosemary and reserved 200g of nectarines in the food processor and blend until smooth.
Roll out the pastry on a sheet of baking paper to form a 32cm round. Transfer the paper with pastry onto a baking tray. Spread the almond-fruit mixture over the centre of the pastry, leaving a 5cm border around the edge. Spread the nectarine pieces, cut side up, in single layer, reserving any juices collected in base of the bowl. Fold and pleat the pastry border over the fruit, leaving the centre exposed.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Brush the reserved juices over the fruit. Serve warm or at room temperature with thick cream or ice-cream.
Ingredients
1kg nectarines, halved and pits removed
finely grated zest of ½ an orange or lemon
11/2 tablespoons brown sugar
50g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (or thyme leaves)
Pastry:
300g plain flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
180g chilled butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
