Easy Summer Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets

Hi friends!  As I promised in my last post, I am sharing a recipe today for a delicious summer dessert:  Easy Summer Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets.  This is, without a doubt, probably one of the simplest fruit dessert you can make.

A classic fruit tart can of course be made with a traditional tart crust, or, a pâte sucrée, depending on what you are baking.  When we do not have the time to make a dough, however, puff pastry is our go-to friend.  It is the ultimate, simple base for a summer dessert!

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients for this dessert are pretty straight-forward:

• Fresh peaches
• Puff pastry
• Sugar
• Lemon zest and juice
• Almond extract
• Egg
• Almond meal (or, finely ground almonds), optional

Puff pastry:  good quality pastry makes easy work.  I used Organic Fillo Factory Classic Butter Puff Pastry – for this recipe; it is a staple in my freezer!

Peaches and other stone fruits:  at this time of the year, we still have so much fresh fruit from which to choose at markets and farm stands.  Fresh peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots can still be found in the eastern United States.  You can use any of them, or, use a mix of your favorites!  As the fruit will bake in a hot oven, be sure to choose slightly under-ripe fruit for this recipe.

Six Tips for Baking with Puff Pastry

1. Do not rush the thawing:  allow the puff pastry to defrost in the refrigerator for about two hours, so it is pliable and easy to roll when you need it
2. Do not let it get warm:  cold puff pastry keeps its shape better when baking.  Have everything ready to assemble before you take the puff pastry out of the refrigerator.  If the pastry gets too soft, put back in the refrigerator to firm up
3. Do not let it stick:  always roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to avoid sticking; brush off any excess flour
4. Do not over handle while rolling it out:  be gentle with the puff pastry or you might get a tough dough
5. Use a sharp knife to cut it:  if you use a knife with dull edge it will make the layers stick together and prevent them from rising.  When cutting, do not drag the knife; cut in an “up and down” motion instead (a sharp pizza cutter also works well here)
6. Do not bake at low temperature:  in order for the puff pastry to “puff up” you need a high oven temperature which will produce the necessary steam for the dough to rise

How to make the Easy Summer Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets in Six Steps

1. Assemble all your ingredients.  Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and wash the peaches.
2. Cut puff pastry into six equal rectangles, arrange them on baking sheets, prick them, and them return to the refrigerator.
3. Slice and pit the peaches
4. Toss the peaches with sugar and lemon zest
5. Arrange the peach slices on the puff pastry, brush with an egg wash, and sprinkle the edges with sugar
6. Bake until golden brown and glaze the fruit with some warmed peach or apricot preserves

Once the tartlets cool down a bit, you can serve them plain, or, with some vanilla ice cream!

This is a simple dessert recipe that even a novice baker can attempt with confidence; there is nothing difficult about it!  Make some of these Easy Summer Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets for the coming Labor Day weekend and you are sure to make everybody happy! ?

5.0 from 3 reviews

Easy Summer Peach Puff Pastry Tartlets

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

A delightful summer dessert with juicy summer peaches, baked in crispy puff pastry!

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Summer Dessert

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 lb. puff pastry, defrosted (I used Fillo Factory Organic Puff Pastry)
• 2 lbs. medium peaches, or, other stone fruit (about 6)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2 tsps. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• For the egg wash:
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 TBSP. water
• 1 TBSP. turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
• --- almond meal (optional)
• For the glaze:
• ½ cup peach or apricot preserves

Instructions

1. Gather and measure all the ingredients and remove the thawed puff pastry from the freezer. The puff pastry should unfold easily but still be cold (it is best not to allow it to get to room temperature). Line two, 13” x 9” sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Place one sheet of puff pastry on a slightly floured surface, unfold it, and roll it out gently to about 10” x 12”. With a sharp knife (or, with a pizza cutter), trim the edges. Cut each puff pastry sheet into six, equal rectangles (they do not have to be perfect or exactly even). Place the rectangles on the first parchment- paper-lined sheet pan and, with a sharp knife, score a small boarder around each rectangle. Then with a fork, prick each piece several times in the center part of each rectangle to allow the steam to escape while they bake. Do not prick holes in the border.
3. Return the pan to the refrigerator and repeat the same with the second sheet of puff pastry to form six more puff pastry tartlet shells. Place the second pan in the refrigerator as well. The puff pastry should chill for half an hour while you preheat the oven and work with the fruit.
4. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
5. Wash and dry the peaches. Cut each one around the “seam” and twist. Some peaches are “free stone” (see note below), and, by twisting the two halves, should separate easily from the pit. Cut them in ½” slices and place them in a bowl with the granulated sugar, almond extract, lemon zest, lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.
6. Remove the first sheet pan from the refrigerator. Spread some almond meal (if using), over each rectangular piece of puff pastry, leaving a small border (the almond meal will help absorb some of the juices from the peaches and leave you with a crispier crust). Fan 5-6 slices of fruit on top of the almond meal, overlapping slightly each other. Continue with the rest of the fruit, leaving any extra liquid behind, in the bowl and making sure that the border does not become wet (or it will not rise).
7. Whisk together the egg and the water. Brush the border lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with some turbinado sugar.
8. Bake each sheet pan, one at a time, for about 15 minutes, rotating half way if necessary, until the pastry is golden and the peaches are tender.
9. While the tartlets bake, gently warm the peach or apricot preserves, adding a little water if necessary, to thin it out. Let it cool.
10. Glaze the peaches with some of the preserves the minute they are out of the oven and still warm. Let them cool for 10 minutes and serve as is, or, with some vanilla ice cream.

Notes

There are two different kinds of peaches:
-- Cling Stone Peaches: these peaches come early in the season and the fruit "clings" to the pit.
-- Free Stone Peaches: these peaches come later in the season and, you guessed, the fruit easily separates for the pit by simply twisting the two halves.

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