In the Midst of Everything – Tartes!

“Everything” now is about preparation for harvest.  Parcel inspections, maturity tests, last minute trimming… cleaning vats and tubes, dry runs of pumps and cooling systems, organizing equipment and helpers…

Genevieve inspecting the Merlots
Genevieve inspecting the Merlots

In the midst of “everything” it is an astounding fruit year.  We’ve been blessed by an extraordinary season’s end: sunny, warm, dry, breezy – perfect.

And thus, more everything just came in around the harvest moon: wild peaches, figs, hazelnuts, pears, some of the apples…

scarab on fig
ripening fig, happy scarab

Even the oaks could be heard in the night silence, releasing their acorns like pensive, fertile drops of rain.

Time of abundance.   We have to Tarte-Everything.

Henri prepares fig & hazelnut tarte
Henri prepares fig & hazelnut tarte
fig & hazelnut tarte
fresh fig & roasted hazelnut tarte
apple-pear cinnamon tarte
buttered apple-pear cinnamon tarte
wild peach & hazelnut tarte
wild peach & hazelnut tarte

Recipe for Harvest Moon Peach & Hazelnut Tarte Sablée

A big bowl of Fresh Peaches

A small bowl of Hazelnuts

Ingredients for the Pastry Crust Sablée:

Flour with raising agent – 210 grams

Ground Hazelnuts or Almonds – 50 grams

Sugar – 75 grams  (Henri uses less: 50 grams Brown Sugar)

Butter 110 grams, cut in morsels

2 eggs

pinch of salt

Shell the hazelnuts and roast in the oven at 340 – 350 ° Fahrenheit (160 ° Centigrade)  for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare the Crust:

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and put into Mixer.  Add the butter and mix until you have a “sandy” texture.  Add the eggs and mix until a ball forms.  If the mix is too wet, add a little more flour.  Wrap the ball in cling film and put in frig for an hour or so.

Remove from frig and press into a buttered pie pan (or skip the butter and use a sheet of baking paper.)

Bake at 360 °F  (180  C °) for about 15 – 20 minutes.  (My oven is hot so I bake at 160 degrees C °) Remove when it has browned slightly and is the texture of a cookie.    Let cool.

Slice the peaches and arrange peaches and nuts on the crust.

Bake at 360 °F  (160 C° – 180  C °)   for about 15 minutes – just until the peaches have started to melt.

Delicious warm or cool.

 

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