Fresh Peach Tart
Mary Taylor
A perfectly simple tart crust that works beautifully with soft ripening fruit such as peaches, plums, nectarines or an assortment of berries. The recipe can be made raw (see note at end), but is even better if cooked foods are part of your regime. In both variations the crust is crisp, and flavorful; a fine compliment to sliced peaches. The cooked version it is just a tiny bit more delicate and so the tart is more refined in character.
yield: 6 individual tarts | prep time: 25 minutes | cooking time: 20 minutes
ingredients
1 ½ cups pecans
¾ cup coconut
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour*
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons coconut (or dairy) butter
4 tablespoons maple syrup
8 fresh, ripe peaches
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves or agave
directions
Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly brush a baking sheet or removable bottom, individual tart pans with coconut or dairy butter and set aside.In a food processor combine the pecans, coconut, flour and salt. Process, using an on-off motion, until finely ground. Add the butter and maple syrup and process again until the mixture is sticky.
Divide the crust mixture into 6 equal portions, and roll these into balls. Press the balls out on the baking sheet into even rounds that are about ¼ inch thick. They may be spaced near each other as they do not spread. Alternatively, press the crust into the lightly buttered tart pans.
Bake the crusts in the preheated oven until just firm and very lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool briefly. Using a metal spatula, remove the crusts from the pans and set aside to cool completely on a cake rack.
Peel the peaches and quarter them to remove the flesh from the pits. Slice the peaches into very thin slices and arrange them in a double (or even triple) layer of spirals over the crust. Brush with a tiny bit of raspberry jam or agave syrup if a glistening finish is desired. Serve within 2 hours.
notes
For a completely raw version of this tart, replace the flour with ground flax seed. Shape the crust into rounds on solid dehydrator sheets. Dry at 110° F for about 6 hours then remove from the sheets, flip and continue to dry until completely crisp on the screen racks. Use these crusts as directed above.