French Summer Peach tart

The Sexiest Fruit In The Garden

By Pastry Chef Cece Campise
Cece Campise is the pastry chef at Art Smith’s
Table Fifty-Two in Chicago’s Gold Coast

The Peach is the sexiest and most sensual fruit in the garden.  The most fitting way to use this deliciously juicy fruit is in a French summer peach tart.  Fragrant and flavorful, sweet and syrupy, the peach is a versatile stone fruit used all over the kitchen.  It’s intoxicating aroma will fill your house with sweetness and it’s velvety texture will be next to irresistible to sample.  The delicate nutty crust, silky cool filling, and succulent ripe peach slices are a perfect finish to a delicious summer meal.  Bon Appetite!

Pastry Shell:
1 stick butter
¼ tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond extract
Zest of one lemon
¼ c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. flour
¼ c. ground almonds

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a mixer. Blend well, add almonds, then flour. Once well mixed, press into a metal tart pan (or in a pinch a pie pan). Line the crust with plastic wrap and fill with dried beans and wrap up the beans in plastic, making a little bean bag. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes. Remove the beans and bake 7 min longer. Remove and let it cool.

Filling:
1 C. yogurt (Greek yogurt is delicious)
4 T. brown sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract1
3/4 C. heavy cream
3 ripe peaches, thinly sliced*

Whip the yogurt, brown sugar, and almond extract. Seperately whip cream into stiff peaks. Fold the two together. Spread the filling into the cooled crust. Overlap peach slices over each other.

*to pit peaches, run a knife around the peach and twist each half in opposite directions until it separates.