I make all my desserts with maple syrup and extra virgin olive oil, and or goat butter. Occassionally I use raw honey. This tart is a sensual pleasure. I make it with the fruit of the season. The crust can be varied with almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts.
Shown below, pear with Sicilian orange glaze.
And again, made in summer with peach and mint chiffonade.
INGREDIENTS:
- French Tart Pan as shown (10")
- Fresh local or organic pears or peaches, count is dependent on the size of your tart pan. My guess about 5-6 pears...
- 1 8oz jar of Bionaturae Sicilian Orange Jam (no added sugar.)
- Fresh mint leaves (garnish on peach)
- 3/4 cup almonds (not blanched)
Crust:
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil - or 2 sticks goat butter (this tart was half oil and half butter, it works just as well straight olive oil)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- dash sea salt
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
Glaze:
- 1 8oz jar of Bionaturae Sicilian Orange Jam (no added sugar.)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- Grand Marnier
DIRECTIONS:
Crust:
1. Chop fine 3/4 cup almonds (walnuts or hazelenuts).
2. Mix together the egg, olive oil, vanilla and 1/3 cup maple syrup.
3. Add the ground nuts, flour, and sea salt. Blend all well. It will form a rough crumbly ball of dough. Press it together into a ball.
4. Wrap with natural wax paper and set in fridge for 30 min. Wash your fruit slicing peaches in crescents. Set aside. (If using pears—you will lay cored halves on crust and slice thin diagonally before baking.)
5. Set oven to 350 degrees. Coat tart pan with olive oil.
6. Remove dough and place it in the center of your tart pan. Use your fingers and palms to break it into chunks that you evenly press into the tart pan form. Pushing it up and into the scalloped edges of the tart pan creating a nice even crust with a flat top at outer edge.
7. Prick a few fork holes in tart crust before baking without the filling for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven but leave oven ON because the tart is going back in.
9. Working in a circular pattern lay your fresh fruit on the crust overlapping to do so as needed.
10. Place Sicilian Orange Jam in a saucepan with the 1/3 cup maple, a shot glass of Grand Marnier liquer and orange juice, adding a spot of juice as needed to thin mixing together to create the glaze. Heat slowly until blended.
11. Pour and spoon glaze across peaches.
12. Place tart back in 350 degree oven for 30 min or until the crust is golden brown.
13. Remove and cool in pan on rack. When cool take washed mint leaves and slice them thinly by hand to create the mint chiffonade that you sprinkle across the cooled tart.
14. The glaze will set-up as it cools.