Description
A delightful peach and almond tart featuring a buttery crumbly pastry, a rich almond-amaretti filling, and fresh peaches baked to golden perfection. This elegant dessert combines a crisp tart shell with a creamy almond base and juicy fruit topping, finished with toasted flaked almonds and a dusting of icing sugar, perfect for seasonal celebrations or casual gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 100ml cold butter, diced small
- 200g plain flour
- 85g caster sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
Almond Filling
- 50g blanched whole almonds
- 50g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra
- 50g butter, diced
- 50g plain flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50g amaretti biscuits, lightly crushed
Fruit and Topping
- 5–6 peaches or nectarines (depending on size)
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- Icing sugar, to dust
Instructions
- Prepare the pastry: Dice the cold butter into very small pieces, using flour on your knife to help. Place the diced butter and plain flour in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt, caster sugar, egg yolks, and lemon zest, then pulse again until it starts forming a dough ball. Remove from the processor, place on cling film, shape into a compact log with minimal touching, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Prepare the tart shell: Thoroughly butter and flour a 24cm tart tin. Unwrap the chilled pastry log and slice into thin, even slices. Use the slices to carefully cover the bottom and sides of the tin with slight overlapping, keeping your hands cold and dry using ice cubes and paper towels for easier handling. Press gently to even out the base and build a slightly thicker crust around the edges to prevent shrinkage. Run an ice cube quickly across the base to smooth it. Chill the assembled tart shell again.
- Make the almond filling: Into the food processor, add blanched almonds and 50g caster sugar and whizz until finely chopped. Add diced butter and plain flour, then pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and process briefly until soft and creamy. Finally, add the crushed amaretti biscuits and pulse just enough to mix. Chill the filling until ready to use.
- Prepare the peaches: Bring a pan of water to boil. Drop peaches or nectarines in for a few seconds, then lift out and cool immediately in cold water. Peel, halve, and stone the fruit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and let sit for 5 minutes to macerate.
- Assemble and bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4) or 160°C fan. Spread the almond-amaretti cream evenly over the chilled pastry base. Arrange the peach halves on top with the rounded sides facing up, trimming if necessary to neatly fill the tart center. Scatter the flaked almonds over the peaches. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until the tart is golden, the filling is set (test with a toothpick which should come out nearly clean), and the pastry edges have shrunk slightly away from the tin.
- Serve: Allow the tart to cool to room temperature. Dust the top with icing sugar before serving. Enjoy with a glass of Tuscan Vin Santo or your preferred dessert wine for an authentic experience.
Notes
- Try substituting peaches with seasonal fruits like strawberries, figs, grapes, pears, or apples for variety.
- If you can access peach kernels by cracking the stones, pulse these with the almonds for an extra bittersweet almond flavor.
- Keeping your hands cold and dry helps prevent the pastry slices from becoming too soft and sticky while lining the tin.
- The tart shell benefits from chilling at multiple steps to minimize shrinkage and improve texture.
- Use amaretti biscuits to add a subtle crunch and almond aroma in the filling, making it distinctively flavorful.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: peach tart, almond tart, fruit tart, Italian dessert, baking recipe, summer dessert, amaretti, seasonal fruit tart
