What can you do when you have perfectly ripe peaches, some leftover ginger drizzle, and a hankering for something creamy, crumbly, and sweet? Make a peach tart with a shortbread crust, mascarpone filling, and a ginger glaze on top!
Tarts are the runway models of the dessert world – meticulously layered and made up, yet effortlessly and naturally stunning. Just set one out on your table and you can almost hear it announce triumphantly,”Voila!“
It doesn’t take much for peaches to strut their stuff here. Juicy, sweet and aromatic, they don’t need any cooking. The only cooking here is for the shortbread crust, and once cooled, the tart can be quickly assembled. I use a dollop of greek yogurt in the mascarpone to give it some – well, tartness – and a splash of vanilla extract and sugar to keep it sweet. Ginger is a great complement to the peaches, so I drizzle it generously over the peaches – and again over each slice upon serving.
Ginger Peach Mascarpone Tart
Crust: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1 1/2 sticks cold butter cut into small pieces, pinch of salt. Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Mix crust ingredients in a food processor or by using your hands in a bowl to incorporate the butter until the mixture comes together (it will be crumbly). Press it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure to push the dough tightly into the edges and up the sides (try to get it as thin as you can without gaps). Bake for 12 minutes, or until starting to get golden brown on the tops/edges. Let it cool in its pan on a rack.
Filling: 1/2 cup mascarpone, dollop of greek yogurt (1 Tbs), splash of vanilla (about 1/2 tsp), granulated sugar to taste (about 2 Tbs). Directions: Mix ingredients well, pour onto center of the cooled tart shell and spread gently with a spatula.
Peach topping: 2 ripe peaches, sliced into 16ths. Directions: Spread the peach slices over the cream filling, overlapping slightly and in a circular pattern, starting from the outside (when you get to the inside, use some smaller chunks of the peaches to fill any gaps).
Ginger drizzle: 1 Tbs. fresh grated ginger, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup water. Directions: In a small pot, boil down the sugars and water, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the grated ginger and continue to boil and let thicken, another 10 minutes or so. Let cool, then drizzle over top of peach tart, and drizzle again over each slice upon serving. (With any leftovers here, try Cardamom Ice Cream with Warm Ginger Drizzle)
Tastes best when eaten immediately after assembling, but it can be stored briefly in the fridge with wrap over it.
Et Voila!
The Seasoned Traveler 