Peach Frangipane Tart Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, rub together the flour and butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar. Add 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water, followed by the next yolk and 1 tsp water until the dough just comes together. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface until big enough to line a 23cm tart tin. If the dough rips, simply patch it up. Cut away the excess pastry. Line with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans, then bake for 10 mins. Remove paper and beans. Prick quite a few holes in the base of your tart, then bake for another 10-15 mins until biscuity.
• While the pastry cooks, make the filling. Whisk the sugar and butter together until you get a pale paste. Beat in the eggs and finally add the almonds and flour. Spoon into pastry case, arrange the peach slices across the top in a pattern and bake for 30-40 mins until golden. When cool, brush your preserve or jam across the top. Serve with a little pot of crème fraîche on the side and eat it quick before anyone else gets their hands on it!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Open crust on work surface. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Rub flour over crust, rubbing out creases. Arrange floured side down in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable sides. Trim and finish edges. Pierce all over with fork. Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
• Finely grind slivered almonds in processor. Add remaining 1 tablespoon flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons amaretto and butter and puree. Add egg and process until well blended. Pour into crust. Bake until filling begins to brown and is springy to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Bring medium pot of water to boil. Add peaches and blanch 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl of cold water, using slotted spoon. Peel peaches. Cut into slices. Drain well. Combine preserves and 1 tablespoon amaretto in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to melt preserves. Boil until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Brush some preserves over tart filling. Arrange peaches atop preserves in concentric circles, overlapping slices. Brush with remaining preserves. Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Store at room temperature.)