Isn’t this gorgeous? This tart is as beautiful and impressive as any you’d find in a French bakery, but – surprisingly – it isn’t a super fussy recipe because there are opportunities for rest if you need to step away to deal with life. For example, you can toast the almonds, then return a phone call and come back and make the crust, then answer the door and come back and make the glaze, and so on.
We love this tart because it isn’t overly sweet… you can walk away from this dessert not feeling like you’ve done something wrong. Anything that calls for a large tart pan, we make in miniature form with our 6-inchers. They. Are. Adorable. This makes 4 mini tarts and they are the perfect size to share without a sloppy result. Take two for yourself, then deliver the other 2 to your neighbors. They will think you are AMAZINGLY talented.
Tip: Don’t forget to have dried beans on hand to use as pie weights. Also, If you feel like your glaze is a little too thick, just puree it. Spread some on top of the filling and before the fruit for some extra peach flavor.
Have your kids help you beat the filling and sprinkle the end product with almonds. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits of some of the ingredients:
- Peaches help you to feel full without overeating.
- Raspberries have a flavonoid that can help you have a good memory.
- Eating almonds can help you keep a healthy weight.
Even though this tart was created by a French chef, it was named after an Australian opera singer, so let’s learn a few facts about Australia and it’s people:
- A big part of Australia is desert, known as the Outback.
- You can buy kangaroo meat at the grocery store.
- Australians love to gamble.
From: Peach Melba Tart
- For the crust:
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- For the glaze:
- 1 peach, diced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 wide strips lemon zest 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- For the filling and topping:
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 8 -ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 firm peaches, thinly sliced
- ½ cup raspberries
- Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake until slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
- Combine the flour, ⅓ cup of the toasted almonds, the granulated sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk; wrap tightly and refrigerate until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Unwrap the dough and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edge of the crust is slightly golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden brown all over, 15 to 20 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: Combine the diced peach, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the peach is soft and the glaze is thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the lemon zest; let the glaze cool.
- Make the filling: Mix the ricotta, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and nutmeg in a bowl with a mixer until smooth; spread evenly in the crust. Arrange the sliced peaches on top of the filling in concentric circles. Brush with all but about 1 tablespoon of the glaze. Gently toss the raspberries with the remaining glaze, then scatter on top of the tart along with the remaining toasted almonds. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.
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