Peach Tart
This classic French peach tart combines a buttery, crisp pâte sucrée shell with silky vanilla pastry cream and fresh, juicy peach slices, finished with a glossy apricot glaze. An elegant dessert that looks bakery-worthy but comes together with simple, straightforward technique.
Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom - 23 cm, fluted edges
- Stand mixer or food processor - for pastry
- Medium saucepan - for pastry cream
- Whisk
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment paper
- Pie weights or dried beans - for blind baking
- Pastry brush - for glaze
- Fine-mesh strainer - for straining pastry cream
- Offset spatula - for spreading pastry cream
- Plastic wrap
- Sharp knife or mandoline slicer - for peaches
- Mixing bowls - various sizes
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour - 190g
- ½ cup powdered sugar - 60g, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - 113g, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons cold heavy cream - 30ml
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk - 480ml
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100g
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch - 24g
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour - 8g
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - 28g
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract - or 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
For the Peach Topping and Glaze
- 4-5 medium fresh peaches - ripe but firm, about 1.5 lbs or 680g
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon water
For Serving
- whipped cream - or crème fraîche, lightly sweetened
- vanilla bean ice cream - optional
- powdered sugar - for dusting
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Pulse in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with pea-sized butter pieces.
- Whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream. With processor running, pour in mixture and process until dough begins to clump. Press into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll chilled dough into a 12-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. Gently press into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, pressing into fluted edges. Trim excess dough and prick the bottom with a fork.
- Place lined pan on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights, and bake for 18-20 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
- Remove parchment and weights. Return shell to oven and bake 8-10 more minutes until base is golden and dry. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Heat milk in a saucepan until steaming. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and ribbony. Whisk in cornstarch and flour. Temper the yolks by slowly pouring in hot milk while whisking constantly.
- Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking vigorously, until thickened and large bubbles appear. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
- Strain cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until completely cold and set.
- Peel peaches by scoring an X on the bottom, blanching in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then plunging into ice water. Slip off skins, halve, remove pits, and slice into ¼-inch wedges. Toss with lemon juice.
- Whisk chilled pastry cream to loosen. Spread evenly into the cooled tart shell, filling to about ¼ inch below the top edge. Smooth the surface flat.
- Arrange peach slices in overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outside and working inward. Angle each slice slightly with the rounded side facing outward. Fill the center with a rosette of slices.
- Combine apricot jam and water in a small saucepan. Heat until melted and fluid. Brush the warm glaze gently over all the peach slices in a thin, even layer.
- Refrigerate the tart for at least 30 minutes to set. Remove from pan by placing on a tall can and pressing the ring downward. Slide onto a serving platter and serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Ripe but firm peaches: Choose peaches that give slightly at the stem end but still feel firm. Overripe peaches release too much juice and make the pastry cream watery.
- Keep pastry cold: Cold butter creates flaky layers. If dough warms up, refrigerate for 15 minutes before continuing.
- Don't rush blind baking: An underbaked shell becomes soggy. Ensure the base is completely golden and dry before removing from the oven.
- Whisk pastry cream constantly: Even brief pauses can scorch the cream or cook eggs unevenly. Scrape corners and edges with a rubber spatula.
- Plastic wrap directly on cream: Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
- Assemble close to serving: The tart holds well for up to 6 hours in the refrigerator, but the pastry is crispest within 3-4 hours of assembly.
- Make ahead options: The tart shell can be blind-baked up to 3 days ahead and stored at room temperature. Pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Freezing instructions: Freeze unbaked tart shell for up to 1 month. Blind-bake from frozen, adding 5 minutes to baking time. Do not freeze assembled tart.
- Variations: Try adding fresh blueberries, using frangipane, or substituting with a honey mascarpone filling for a different flavor profile.
- Peach ripeness tip: If peaches are not quite ripe, leave them at room temperature for 1-2 days. Never refrigerate unripe peaches as they won't ripen properly.