This easy, breezy Fresh Peach Tart with Vanilla-Cardamom Cream is the cotton dress of desserts - a pretty summer treat that always leaves them wanting more.
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Many moons ago, I lived just around the bend from a peach farm that was owned by my friend Candy. During the harvest season, Candy and I used to can peaches together, and I will always be grateful to her for sharing her secret for amazing peaches with me.
(Shhhh. This is strictly between you and me now...It's cardamom.) (Yep!)
Just a little sprinkle of this uniquely aromatic spice makes a fresh peach pop with enough flavor to make Cinnamon and Ginger both jealous.
How to Make a Fresh Peach Tart
Prepare Tart Pastry
Preheat oven to 375° F [190°C]. Roll out pastry dough and lay it in a shallow pie dish or tart pan. Crimp or trim edges.
Blind Bake Tart Pastry
Use a fork to prick a few holes in the bottom of the pastry shell. The crust should be bubbly but not yet browned. Set aside.
Pie Weights: Generally, when blind-baking pastries, I use a circle of parchment filled with pie weights (or dried beans) to hold down the pastry as it bakes. That said, I don't usually use pie weights for this tart because it seems to bake up fine without them.
If you'd like to use pie weights when you blind bake the tart shell, bake it for 8 minutes, and then remove the pie weights and bake an additional 5 minutes before moving on.
Prepare Vanilla Cardamom Cream
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch, sugar, and cardamom.
In a heavy saucepan, add cornstarch mixture to milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until the mixture begins to thicken.
To avoid making scrambled eggs, temper the eggs by adding ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs in the small bowl, one tablespoon at a time. When the entire ¼ cup of hot milk mixture has been added to the eggs, slowly pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Continue stirring until the mixture simmers and thickens. Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Pour this mixture into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate the prepared pastry cream for 15 minutes and the carefully pour it into the prepared tart shell.
NOTE: Typically when you prepare a cooked pudding or cream pie filling, you cover it with plastic wrap for the entire time that it is cooling to avoid a skin from forming on the top. However, for this tart, the skin is helpful for keeping the peaches from sinking into the tart, so do not cover it once you pour it into the crust in the tart pan.
The pastry cream is basically a thick cooked pudding that is a little less sweet than a traditional cooked pudding.
Prepare the Peaches
Fill a medium bowl with cold water and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. (Orange juice works too!)
Peel peaches. (I prefer to use a quick boiling water bath to remove the skins.) Slice the peeled peaches into thin slices.
Submerge peach slices in prepared lemon-water for a few minutes, and then remove and pat dry with paper towels.
Arrange peach slices on top of the tart. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of raw sugar.
Finish Tart
Return tart to 375° F [190°C] oven and bake 35-45 minutes, until the edges of the peaches are just barely turning light brown. Remove the baked tart from oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Glaze the Tart
Using a mixer, blender, food processor or hand blender, puree peach preserves. Use a pastry brush to brush the pureed peach preserves over the top of the warm peaches on top of tart.
Fresh Peach Tart
Print Recipe Pin RecipeEquipment
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 3 large peaches
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- ¼ cup peach jam preserves, or jelly
Instructions
Prepare Tart Pastry
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Roll out pie crust and lay in a shallow pie dish or tart pan. Crimp or trim edges.
Blind Bake Tart Pastry
- Use a fork to prick a few holes in the bottom of the pastry shell. The crust should be bubbly but not yet browned. Set aside.(See Blind Baking NOTES for more info.)
Prepare Vanilla Cardamom Cream
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Set aside.In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch, sugar, and cardamom.In a heavy saucepan, add cornstarch mixture to milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until the mixture begins to thicken.To avoid cooking the eggs, temper them by adding ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs in the small bowl, one tablespoon at a time. When the entire ¼ cup of hot milk mixture has been added to the eggs, slowly pour the egg mixture into the milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Continue stirring until the mixture simmers and thickens. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and vanilla.Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Pour cooled pastry cream into prepared pie crust.
Prepare Peaches
- Fill a medium bowl with cold water and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. (Orange juice works too!)Peel peaches. (I prefer to use a quick boiling water bath to remove the skins.) Slice the peeled peaches into thin slices.Submerge peach slices in prepared lemon-water for a few minutes, and then remove and pat dry with paper towels.Arrange peach slices on top of the tart, and sprinkle with two tablespoons of raw sugar.
Finish Tart
- Return tart to 375° F [190°C] oven and bake 35-45 minutes, until the edges of the peaches are just barely turning light brown.Remove the baked tart from oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.Glaze the TartUsing a mixer, blender, food processor or hand blender, puree peach preserves.Use a pastry brush to brush the pureed peach preserves over the top of the warm peaches on top of tart.
Notes
Typically when you prepare a cooked pudding or cream pie filling, you cover it with plastic wrap for the entire time that it is cooling to avoid a skin from forming on the top. However, for this tart, the skin is helpful for keeping the peaches from sinking into the tart, so do not cover it once you pour it into the crust in the tart pan.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Our Sweet Pie Crust is perfect for all your sweet pastry needs. See our Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie for more baking inspiration!
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Looks amazing!
This sounds amazing Reneé! I love the addition of the cardamom - Yum!
What a peach season it has been Renée! I can see why you're in love with your new tart pan. Your Fresh Peach Tart looks heavenly! And that cream, oh my word! Thank you so much for sharing Renée. I will be pinning!!!
What a beautiful recipe! I'll have to try cardamom with my peaches sometime!