Rustic Peach Tart... Or Peach Galette

Peaches are at the height of their flavor right now, so we've been making the most of it. It's well known by all our friends that Mr. Snooty is a total peach hound, so I made him this lovely treat on his birthday and he couldn't seem to get enough. Well, he did eat eat the entire thing... This recipe is so easy that it will make you weep for the sheer joy of its simplicity. Some things simply cannot be improved upon. Rustic Peach Tart: Ingredients: For Tart Crust: 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (with a little extra for rolling out dough) 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons of cold butter, in small pieces 1/3 cup of ice cold water (and more, if needed) 4 - 6 peaches 1 teaspoon of sugar 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, toasted For The Glaze: 1 Tablespoon of butter 1 Tablespoon of Apricot Marmalade (other other marmalade) 1 Tablespoon of sugar Directions: For the tart, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Gently incorporate butter with your hands or a pastry blender, leaving some pea-sized pieces. Drizzle water over top of flour-butter mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and work until dough comes together in a ball. Press dough into a disk and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, to peel the peaches, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add peaches and cook for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on the fruit's ripeness. Transfer peaches to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the peaches--the skins should slip right off. Halve them and remove the pits. Slice peaches thinly and toss them with sugar and lemon juice. Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a circular shape about 1/8-inch thick. Gently transfer dough to a baking sheet by folding it into quarters. Unfold dough and sprinkle almonds over it, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Pile peaches on top of almonds, then fold edges of dough up over fruit.

To make the glaze, heat butter and apricot preserves in a small saucepan until just melted, stirring to combine. Brush dough with mixture and drizzle remaining over the fruit. Sprinkle pastry and fruit with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, until dough is golden brown and fruit juices are bubbling. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Snooty's Divine Spiced Peach Jam

This time of year the peaches are ripe and literally the size of softballs, which is the ideal time to make some peach jam. So, let's get her going.

Preparing The Peaches:

To me, the hardest and most time consuming part is having to parboil, peel, and pit the peaches. If they are really ripe, par-boiling might not even be necessary. If not overly ripe they need to be par-boiled for one minute.

If they aren't quite all the way ripe, you should cut a simple crisscross pattern on the bottom of each peach. Boil each peach around 4 to 5 minutes. This makes them much easier to peel.

That done, set the peaches aside and allow them to cool to the point you can handle them. I also use surgical gloves for the peeling and pitting part. Now, I do as many as 12 to 18 pounds of peaches at a time, since it's such a major pain in the ass neck.

Once you have run each batch through the food processor (I only use the pulse button so there will be small chunks), batches can be stored in large containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. It won't matter if the top layer turns a bit brown, just stir before using. It's fine. I also sometimes go ahead and add the lemon juice, which helps. You can also cover it with cling wrap and see that the wrap makes contact with the pureed fruit, then refrigerate. This will help to reduce the darkening effect. Now, you're done with the preparation process.

Preparing The Jars:

I always, without fail, run all the jars and lids through the dishwasher first. However, just to be absolutely certain they're all santized, I also boil RO water in a large stockpot and boil each jar for 15 minutes.

Use a smaller pan to accommodate the lids and rings. All you have to do is pour boiling water over them and let sit until you're ready to use them. I place a large area of clean paper towels out to turn the lids and jars onto when I'm ready to use them.

Preparing The Jam:
 

Ingredients:

4 Lbs. of large peaches, peeled, pitted and pureed (which come to about 4-1/2 Cups)

1/8 Teaspoon allspice (optional)

1 Package of Sure-Jell Reduced Sugar Pectin

3 Cups granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 whole lemon)

1 Teaspoon real butter (to reduce foaming)

Directions:

1. Pre-measure 4-1/2 Cups of pureed fruit into a large pot.

2. Pre-measure the 3 Cups of sugar.

3. In another bowl mix about 1/3 of the sugar in with the Sure-Jell powder. Set this and the other bowl of sugar
aside.

4. If you haven't already added the lemon juice, do so now. You can also add the butter and the Allspice and mix together thoroughly.

5. Heat the mixture over a medium-high flame or med-hi setting on electric stove.

6. When mixture begins to bubble all around the edges, add the remaining amount of sugar, turn the burner to high, stirring constantly.

7. When the fruit comes to a full rolling boil, cook for exactly one (1) minute, stirring constantly. Turn off burner.

8. Begin filling jars with jam, making sure to wipe the tops & threads of the jars with a warm, wet cloth.

9. Immediately put the lids on, screw down the rings, and turn over the jars of jam for 15 to 20 minutes. Don't screw the rings too tightly or it may have an effect on the seal. Just make it firmly tightened, not over tightened.

10. When the time is up, turn the jars back over (upright) and listen for the pops, letting you know the seals have worked. Trust me when I say people will vie for your friendship once they have tasted this jam. It is absolutely amazing, but you might want to refrain from sitting down to eat an entire jar. There is usually a little amount left over from each batch, so I just put it in a refrigerator container for our own personal use.

Bon Appetit!