The premature and sustained summer weather has brought about an early bounty of the best local produce. Blueberries, corn on the cob, figs, tomatoes and, most of all, peaches — by the cardboard basketload — have been making regular appearances in our kitchen for at least a month. Friends: now is the time to take advantage of summer’s best offerings (and support local growers).
For some, the need to keep summer frozen in time kicks in around late August, resulting in a frenzy of canning, pickling and preserving. I recall one summer, painstakingly freezing pints and pints of berries in batches in a single layer on a baking sheet to avoid them sticking together (guess what — they stuck together anyway). And though I am tempted to try making “bachelor’s jam” because, big surprise, it involves preserving your fruit in booze, the rest of the preserving process is something I’ve never had the wherewithal and patience to actually do. There’s like, special equipment involved. And time. And the handling of hot glass with tongs over pots of boiling water. Trust me: this is a culinary nightmare waiting to happen.
Nope. Summer fruit is about living in the now, man. It’s about letting the fruit stand on its own, in all its glory — or maybe macerated in a bit of sugar and dressed up with a little whip cream. Or, best of all, bake it into pies and tarts or buttery puff pastry or any combination of fruit and butter and flour that begs to be topped with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Pies and pastry dough can be tough to perfect and a little intimidating, so I will spare you the trouble by telling you now that store-bought frozen puff pastry is an amazing invention. It’s inexpensive, it stores in your freezer, and takes a fraction of the effort as it only requires a rolling pin and a bit of flour to become a canvas for whatever amazingness you want to use it for (sweet or savoury).
Here, it serves as a base for a rustic peach tart, which showcases the sweet, juicy flavours of summer’s best peaches, adorned only by a bit of brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon and lemon. This can be made ahead of time and served room temperature, or served warm from the oven. Make sure you keep the pastry cold and don’t overwork it — if you want to assemble the tart and bake it later, then keep it refrigerated to ensure a proper puffiness. Vanilla ice cream is optional, but recommended (I’ve also gone for topping it with a dollop of Liberte Mediterrane coconut yogurt — hardly the lowest-fat alternative, but crazy delicious). Got a handful of blueberries or blackberries? Throw that business in there, too.
Fresh Peach Tart
3 ripe peaches, sliced thin
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp corn starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter
granulated sugar
1/2 package puff pastry, rolled out to 9X12 in*
*Some puff pastry comes pre-rolled, like the President’s Choice brand. Others, like Tenderflake, come in a square that requires rolling out. In either case, you only need half of what’s in the package — unless you make two, which you should, because it will keep a day or two in the fridge. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or for two hours on the counter at room temp.
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, combine peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and corn starch and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, roll out pastry to a rectangle about 9×12 inches or until about 1/4 inch thick. Place pastry (carefully) on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet (you can also use lightly greased tinfoil).
3. Brush entire surface with egg wash. Arrange peach slices on pastry in three rows, leaving a two-inch border. Pull up the sides, folding and pinching as you go to make a rustic crust (it doesn’t have to be pretty!). Brush crust with egg wash.
4. Sprinkle crust and peaches lightly with granulated sugar, then place two pats of butter on top of peaches.
5. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, until pastry is golden and puffed. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Slice into 6 or 8 pieces; serve warm or at room temperature.
Sara Chan is a newly called Toronto lawyer. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.