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Peach & almond tart

By Carmelita Caruana

Authentic Italian Peach and almond tart

Takes 1 hour 10 mins-1 hour 25 mins + chilling

Serves 8
More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 477
fat 25g
saturates 11g
carbs 57g
sugars 23g
fibre 3g
protein 9g
salt 0g

Ingredients

100ml cold butter
200g plain flour
85g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
grated zest of a lemon
50g blanched whole almonds
50g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
50g butter
50g plain flour
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
50g amaretti biscuits, lightly crushed
5-6 peaches or nectarines depending on their size
2 tbsp flaked almonds
icing sugar, to dust

Tip

Try other fruits
Why not try strawberries or peaches in early summer, figs or grapes in late summer, pears and new walnuts in the autumn, and apples in winter? If you can, crack open the peach stones to get at the peach kernels inside, then add them to the almonds when you pulse them. They have a delicious bittersweet almond flavour.

Method

Dice the butter as small as you can. If you dip your knife in the flour for the pastry and keep covering the butter with flour as you dice, you will find it easier.
Put the diced butter and flour in the food processor and pulse until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt, the sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest and pulse again – it should almost immediately adhere into a ball.Remove from the processor, lay it on a sheet of cling film or foil, and lightly press and shape into a compact log (touch it as little as possible). Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour – the longer it rests, the less it will shrink later.
Butter and flour a 24cm tart tin thoroughly. Unwrap and cut the pastry log into thin even slices and use to cover the bottom and sides of the tin with just touching or slightly overlapping slices. Keep a bowl of ice cubes and some paper towels handy to chill and dry your hands as you work.
Pat the pastry lightly with cold fingers so the base is even, and make the shell a little thicker round the sides, ensuring it reaches all the way up since it may shrink. To even the base, run an ice cube quickly across, from the centre to the edges. Chill again.
Tip the almonds and 50g/2oz sugar into the food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Dice the butter and add to the almonds with the flour. Process again until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg and eg yolk and process briefly until soft and creamy. Add the crushed amaretti and briefly whizz again. Chill.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.Drop the peaches into a pan of boiling water, lift out after a few seconds then cool in cold water. Peel, halve and stone the peaches, sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and leave for 5 minutes. Spread th amaretti cream in the base of the pastry case. Put the peach halves on top, rounded side up, cutting them if necessa to fill the centre. Scatter with the almonds
Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden. Check the filling with a toothpick (which should come out barely flecked) and ensure the pastry is shrinking away from the tin. Dust with icing sugar and serve a room temperature, with a glass of Tuscan Vin Santo.