MY FAVORITE PEACH DESSERT: GF PEACH TART

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     It is peach season here in New Jersey.  I love peaches, especially white peaches, but I love yellow ones almost as much.  Here in Monmouth County, NJ there are lots of farms with some of the best tasting peaches you’ll ever have.  One of my friends went to visit her daughter in Georgia and stopped to buy some famous Georgia peaches.  There were none left, but they had New Jersey peaches for sale from a farm right here in Monmouth County.

     I usually buy a quart basket (or two) at a time.  You can pick them yourself just ripe off the trees or go to the farm and buy already picked ones in their store.  The ones at the store take a few days to be perfectly ripe.  One time I left a quart to ripen while my friend Shirley was visiting.  I ran an errand and when I came back she had eaten all the peaches.  She apologized, explaining that they tasted so good she just couldn’t stop.  She said that it had been such a long time since she tasted peaches that were so flavorful and sweet. 

     With two quarts of ripe peaches I decided to bake a peach tart.  This recipe is adapted from a wheat recipe that I got from my friend Rita Symczyk.  The crust is like a tender shortbread.  I brought this to a meeting last Thursday and people were eating the crumbs off the table when the tart was gone. 

     It is easy and fast to make this tart.  There are instructions in the original recipe for making a custard version.  I have not done this, but I will include this information in case someone wants to try.  I have made this recipe with peaches and apples.  I think it would work well with pears and plums as well.

GLUTEN FREE PEACH TART

Ingredients

Crust

1cup	Sorghum Flour
½ cup	Tapioca Flour
¼ cup	Chickpea or Chickpea/Fava Flour
½ tsp.	Xanthan or Guar Gum
¼ cup	Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
½ cup (1 stick)	Unsalted Butter into 8 pieces (for Dairy free or Vegan use ¼ cup dairy free margarine like Earth Balance Buttery Spread and ¼ cup of unflavored shortening like non-hydrogenated Spectrum Shortening and omit Salt from recipe)
1/8 tsp	Salt

Filling

5 medium

Peaches (skins removed)

In a separate bowl mix:

½ cup	Sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the fruit…use 2 Tbs. less sugar for sweet fruit. For less sweet fruit use 2 Tbs. more.  Taste a piece of fruit and add more sugar if needed.  Add 1 Tbs. at a time, tasting after each addition until desired sweetness is attained.)
½ tsp.	Cinnamon
1 ½ Tbs.	Cornstarch (If the fruit is very juicy add 3 Tbs. of Cornstarch.)

Directions

     Place rack in center of oven.    

     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

     In a bowl mix flours; xanthan or guar gum; salt and ¼ cup sugar.

     With a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter into the flour until it is the consistency of coarse cornmeal.

     If you use a food processor add the flours; xanthan or guar gum; salt and sugar to the bowl and pulse until well blended.  Add butter and pulse until consistency of coarse cornmeal.

     Use a 9” tart pan or spring form pan. Pour the flour/butter mixture into the pan and press into the bottom and 1” up the side of the pan.

     Bake empty crust for 10 minutes and remove from oven to cool on a rack.

     Take half of the sugar/cinnamon/cornstarch mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of the partially baked tart crust.

     Slice peaches into wedges that are 1” thick at large edges.  Arrange peach wedges around the bottom of the tart crust.
     Pour the other half of the sugar/cinnamon/cornstarch mixture over the fruit and gently coat the peaches.

    

 GF Peach Tart Before Final Baking

     Bake 30 minutes.  Cover with foil last 10 minutes of baking if crust is getting too brown.

     Cool on rack.  Serve that day.

GF Peach Tart after it is completely baked

Instructions for Custard Tart

     Mix 2 Eggs and 1 cup of Heavy Cream and set aside.

     Follow instructions for making the tart.

     After the first 15 minutes of baking, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and pour egg/cream mixture evenly over fruit.

     Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Next week I will continue the Afternoon Tea Party recipes and post a cookie recipe.

PEACH TART Ingredients Crust 1cup Sorghum Flour ½ cup Tapioca Flour ¼ cup Chickpea or Chickpea/Fava Flour ½ tsp. Xanthan or Guar Gum ¼ cup Sugar (I use evaporated cane juice) ½ cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter into 8 pieces (for Dairy free or Vegan use ¼ cup dairy free margarine like Earth Balance Buttery Spread and ¼ cup of unflavored shortening like non-hydrogenated Spectrum Shortening and omit Salt from recipe) 1/8 tsp Salt Filling 5 medium Peaches (skins removed) In a separate bowl mix: ½ cup Sugar (adjust according to the sweetness of the fruit…use 2 Tbs. less sugar for sweet fruit. For less sweet fruit use 2 Tbs. more. Taste a piece of fruit and add more sugar if needed 1 Tbs. at a time after each tasting until desired sweetness is attained.) ½ tsp. Cinnamon 1 ½ Tbs. Cornstarch (If the fruit is very juicy add 3 Tbs. of Cornstarch.) Directions Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix flours; xanthan or guar gum; salt and ¼ cup sugar. With a pastry blender or two knives cut the butter into the flour until it is the consistency of coarse cornmeal. If you use a food processor add the flours; xanthan or guar gum; salt and sugar to the bowl and pulse until well blended. Add butter and pulse until consistency of coarse cornmeal. Use a 9” tart pan or spring form pan. Pour the flour/butter mixture into the pan and press into the bottom and 1” up the side of the pan. Bake empty crust for 10 minutes and remove from oven to cool on a rack. Take half of the sugar/cinnamon/cornstarch mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of the partially baked tart crust. Slice peaches into wedges that are 1” thick at large edges. Arrange peach wedges around the bottom of the tart crust. Pour the other half of the sugar/cinnamon/cornstarch mixture over the fruit and gently coat the peaches. Bake 30 minutes. Cover with foil last 10 minutes of baking if crust is getting too brown. Cool on rack. Serve that day. Instructions for Custard Tart Mix 2 Eggs and 1 cup of Heavy Cream and set aside. Follow instructions for making the tart. After the first 15 minutes of baking, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and pour egg/cream mixture evenly over fruit. Bake an additional 30 minutes.

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