Strawberry Peach Tart
A stunning summer dessert featuring ripe peaches and sweet strawberries nestled in a buttery pastry cream-filled tart shell. This elegant tart is simpler to make than it looks and tastes like pure summer in every bite.
Equipment
- 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan - fluted, non-stick
- Food processor - or large mixing bowl and pastry cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Medium saucepan - for pastry cream
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls - at least two, in different sizes
- Fine-mesh sieve - or strainer
- Pastry brush - for apricot glaze
- Plastic wrap - for chilling
- Pie weights - or dried beans for blind baking
- Parchment paper
- Sharp chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Offset spatula - for spreading pastry cream evenly
- Bench scraper - optional, for handling dough
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour - 155g
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar - 40g
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - 113g, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2-3 tablespoons ice water
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk - 480ml
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100g, divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Fruit Topping
- 3 ripe fresh peaches - about 1 lb / 450g, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup fresh strawberries - 150g, hulled and halved
- 3 tablespoons apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Make the pastry: Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk and ice water, pulsing until dough just comes together. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll and fit the dough: On a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Press into a 9-inch tart pan, trim excess, and prick bottom with a fork. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Blind bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line the chilled shell with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights, and bake 10-12 minutes more until pale golden. Cool completely.
- Make pastry cream: Heat milk with half the sugar until steaming. Whisk egg yolks with remaining sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Temper the eggs by slowly adding hot milk while whisking. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla, then strain and chill with plastic wrap on the surface.
- Prepare the fruit: Wash and dry peaches and strawberries. Slice peaches into ¼-inch thick pieces. Hull and halve strawberries. Pat fruit dry if very juicy.
- Assemble: Whisk chilled pastry cream until smooth. Spread evenly into the cooled tart shell. Arrange peach slices in overlapping concentric circles, filling gaps with strawberry halves.
- Glaze: Warm apricot jam with water until melted and smooth. Brush glaze gently over the fruit. Let set for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pastry cream tip: Whisk the pastry cream vigorously before filling the tart if it has stiffened in the fridge. This brings it back to a smooth, spreadable consistency.
- Fruit selection: Choose ripe but firm peaches that yield slightly to pressure. Overripe peaches will release too much juice and make the tart soggy.
- Blind baking: Don't skip blind baking the crust—a raw shell won't cook through under the cold pastry cream filling and will become soggy.
- Make ahead: The pastry dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. The pastry cream can also be made 2 days in advance. The baked tart shell can be stored at room temperature for 1 day.
- Gluten-free option: Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend that contains xanthan gum. Handle the dough gently as it will be more fragile.
- Variations: Try this tart with other summer fruit combinations like raspberries and peaches, mango and strawberries, or blueberries and nectarines.
- Serving suggestion: Serve chilled or at cool room temperature with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Storage: The assembled tart is best enjoyed within 24 hours. After that, the pastry cream will begin to soften the crust. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: Do not freeze the assembled tart—the pastry cream texture will suffer significantly upon thawing. Unbaked dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.
- Clean slicing: Dip a sharp knife in hot water and wipe it dry between slices for neat, clean cuts that don't drag the fruit arrangement.