Peach & Pine Nut Tart

It's peach season...and this is the perfect party tart - quick, simple and a big hit with my fellow book club girls! You can create all kinds of variations of this rustic tart once you get the hang of it - the basic ingredients are simple (as is the process)...peaches that are still slightly hard are best for this as I've found that very ripe peaches tend to make the pastry too soggy and the tart too watery. Instead, choose fruit that's still a bit on the firm side.


A few of the following ingredients (starred) are great items to keep on hand for those times that you're "in a pinch" and need something impressive (and inexpensive) to take along (to a book club or dinner with friends, for instance). That way you can whip this thing up in a heartbeat!

What you need:

• 1 sheet ready-made frozen puff pastry* (thawed)
• 4 large or 6 medium peaches
• apricot jam* (approximately 1/8-1/4 cup)
• handful of pine nuts*
• unsalted butter* (2-3 tablespoons, melted)

What you do:

1. Cut the peaches into pretty, relatively thin slices (the thinner you make each wedge, the fancier the tart will look - about 1/8" is probably about right).
   
2. Roll out the puff pastry into a square or rectangle that's about 10" x 10". Be careful not to make it too thin or you'll have a hard time moving the tart!
   
3. Nuke a glob of butter in the microwave then brush the entire surface of the pastry lightly with the melted butter.
4. Roll the edges of the pastry in about 1/4" to make a crust, brushing surfaces with melted butter to help them stick (make sure all the exposed crust has been brushed with butter before baking).
   
5. Arrange peach slices in rows down the center of the tart making sure each wedge faces the same direction.
6. Sprinkle a handful of pine nuts across the peach slices (I like to do this in lines between the rows of peach slices, but if that's too anal just throw them on anyhow).
7. Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes - until pastry has fluffed up and browned and the peach slices are clearly baked. Don't worry if the center of the tart appears to puff up as you bake - it will go back down again when you take it from the oven!
8. Nuke the apricot jam in the microwave then "glaze" the entire tart with it, peaches and all, pouring some of the jam in between the cracks in the fruit slices to fill in any gaps. Let the tart cool before serving.
   

Whipped cream or vanilla icecream make mouthwatering accompaniments for this on a summer day, but nothing beats a slice of cold tart and a good hot cafe au lait as a mid-afternoon snack...