Late spring and early summer have been so very hot here in Canberra, that it bears not thinking about what crazy weather we’ll have to endure through the months of January and February when temperatures usually reach their peak… One great benefit of this warmer weather though is that cherries, peaches and nectarines are now to be found in abundance at our local Saturday morning markets. The 2 kilos of gorgeously plump cherries that we bought have miraculously disappeared already and we’re now making short work of the nectarines which needed a day or two extra to fully ripen. An overflowing fruit bowl is something I love most about this time of year…
Biting into a piece of fruit as nature intended is hard to beat, but with these beautiful nectarines I couldn’t stop thinking about ways of incorporating them into a little bit of baking this week. So, to welcome in summer, I’ve made a Nectarine Tart with a nut element both above and below the fruit, which works so very well.
There were unfortunately 2 aspects of this tart that I tried and wasn’t happy with (they have subsequently been left off the recipe below) – goes to show that what seems like a great idea in your mind doesn’t always translate to deliciousness on a plate. My ‘inspired’ addition of a little rose water to the almond frangipane was rather regrettable (though thankfully didn’t render the tart completely inedible… well, not for the whole family!) The second element which sadly didn’t excite me was the use of Maggie Beer’s recipe for Sour Cream Shortcrust Pastry… it was okay… though somewhat on the bland side (perhaps needed a pinch of salt or a dash of sugar for my palate?), so I’m not sure that I’d make it again in a hurry. I trust her culinary experience and wisdom implicitly though, so I honestly have to question whether it’s just me… and not the pastry.
In an effort to guarantee that this recipe is a sure success for any who want to give it a go, I’ve included a link through to my favourite shortcrust recipe on the wonderful blog ‘My Foodtopia’, as I know that it would have been the perfect base for this tart.
Hope you’re having a great week!
Nectarine Tart | Gather and Graze
Ingredients
For the Pastry
Click here for a fabulous recipe that I use for shortcrust pastry on ‘My Foodtopia’
For the Almond Frangipane Filling
- 60g/4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 80g/⅓ Cup Raw Caster Sugar
- 1 Free-Range Egg
- 100g/1 Cup Ground Almonds
- A Good Pinch of Salt
For the Topping
- Fresh Ripe Nectarines (Stones Removed and Sliced into Segments)
- 15g/1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter (Melted)
- 10g/1 Tablespoon Blanched Almonds (Chopped)
- 10g/1 Tablespoon Unsalted Pistachios (Chopped)
Instructions
After the pastry has rested in the fridge for 20 minutes, roll it out into your desired shape/size to fit your tart tin (mine is round and 23cm in diameter). I find it easiest to roll the pastry out between 2 sheets of baking parchment paper, both for ease of rolling and also for then transferring it into the tin. Once you’ve lined the tin with pastry, prick the base with a fork and then place into the freezer for another 15 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Once the pastry has rested in the freezer, line the tart shell with baking parchment paper and fill with pastry weights to blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and pastry weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Allow the pastry case to cool slightly in the tin, while you prepare the frangipane filling.
Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then gently stir in the ground almonds along with a good pinch of salt.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 220°C.
Spread the frangipane filling evenly across the base of the tart shell and then arrange the thinly sliced nectarines on top. Brush the tops of the nectarines with the melted butter. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds and pistachios, before placing back into the oven for a further 20-25 minutes of cooking, until the frangipane has puffed and turned golden and the nectarines are slightly browned on the edges.
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes in the tin, before removing to a cooling rack. Serve at room temperature as is… or with a little double cream or ice-cream on the side.
Gather & Graze 
Thank you for sharing thhis
When I saw this tart I had a vision of how wonderfully organized and clean your kitchen is. 🙂 Really. This tart says a lot about you. It’s fanned so beautifully and browned perfectly. I think pistachio’s and nectarine would be a fantastic combination of both texture and flavor and I love hearing about your warm (hot) weather and spring/summer fruits in season. It reminds me of the wonders of this planet, freezing temps over here and hot on the other side. Yes, I’m scraping my car windows in the morning before leaving the house. 🙂
Thanks Seana! I’m not OCD, but yes, have to admit that I do like everything to be rather organised and it’s place… though you should have seen it all yesterday when I was in the process of making fresh pasta – flour, pasta and stuff absolutely everywhere! 🙂
There is definitely an up-side to your winters – at least it snows and is oh so pretty when it does! Plus our Christmas in summer (even though it seems completely normal to me and is always quite lovely in it’s own way) doesn’t have quite the same charm as a white Christmas, all huddled around the tree with hot drinks, roasted dinners and baked goods aromatic with warm spices! Guess there’s pro’s and con’s to everything, isn’t there!? M.xx
Looks delicious, nectarines and pistachio a great combination. Freezing cold here, more of a soup day but would still love that tart to eat!
Cheers Anna – the nectarines and nuts really do work so well together! Hope you’re keeping warm… I’m almost envious of your comforting bowls of soup! 🙂
This looks beautiful! I’ll have to save it until we’re out of the depths of winter here in the UK.
What a shame the sour cream pastry didn’t work. I’ve tried a yoghurt pastry before and I know what you mean about it being a bit bland, but it seemed to go quite well with a lemony chicken couscous filling and maybe wouldn’t have been so nice in a sweet recipe? At least you’ve tried it now and know for the future!
It must have taken you ages to arrange all those nectarines but it certainly looks worth it 🙂
So kind of you, thanks Trix! 🙂 I think you’re right that the sour cream pastry might be better suited to a savoury filling… will have to try it again sometime. Is your lemony chicken and couscous pie on your blog? Sounds delicious – I’ll come across shortly to have a look! Hope you have a great weekend!
It’s not on the blog actually, just one I found in a recipe book and like to do occasionally 🙂
Happy weekend to you too (when it comes!)
That tart looks absolutely amazing. I wish I had it in my kitchen right now :). Great post
Thanks so very much K for your kind comment! Cheers, Margot
Tart looks delicious, and nicely fanned. Like you I’m not so sure about the sour cream (great with fresh apricots) in a pastry case, especially for a sweet pie. But then, who am I – the pastry specialist! Hardly. Although, my recent shortbread pastry is the best. Hah! I can at last eat the shell without bothering to fill it. Now to master a shortcrust. Have just had a nosy (and follow) at My Foodtopia. As for your weather! Oooh. We’re enduring a cold snap. Hovers around zero during the day, especially by the beach – as I have to walk by it to get to the shops. As long as you don’t swelter do enjoy the heat for me.
Hi Johnny, thanks re the tart! My family thought it looked a little quiche-like from a distance, hence the 2 rather close-up photos, to avoid a case of mistaken identity! 😉 The sour cream pastry may well be something I’ll try again for a savoury tart/pie and make sure I use salted butter to give it more flavour.
So pleased that you checked out ‘My Foodtopia’! I get the feeling that Iain has other things on his plate right now and not quite enough time for blogging, but fingers crossed that he’ll be back at some stage with more English, Dutch and French influenced dishes. His family recipe for sweet shortcrust really is fabulous, can highly recommend it!
No sweltering in the heat today thankfully… very pleasantly overcast with a gentle breeze and chance of rain to come – fab for the garden! 🙂 Hope you’re nicely rugged up to go out walking… and I’m sure that your kitchen must smell divine with an abundance of comfort food permeating the air!
Yes I’m loving this time of year too in Adelaide – little bursts of hot followed by a bit of rain and coolness. The long hot summer ahead is not something I’m looking forward to. But on the upside, the cherries here are amazing, with peaches and other stone fruit on their way soon. Perfect for lovely tarts like yours 🙂
Since I posted this recipe it’s been wet, stormy and quite a bit cooler – quite a pleasant change really… Pleased to know that you’ve been enjoying the cherries too Sam! We seem to have inhaled 2 kilos of them over the course of about 3 or 4 days – such a beautiful fruit! Cheers, Margot
Oh-so-pretty. Summer is long gone for me, but I can imagine the wonderful smell of those gorgeous nectarines.
Thank you Mary! Your spring… and then summer will come around again incredibly fast… they always do! 😉
An absolute work of art, Margot! This tart sounds delicious and almost looks to pretty to eat…almost…I wouldn’t be able to decline the offer of in season nectarines…yummy!
You’re very sweet to say that Nancy – thank you so much! I can’t walk past the beautiful, in season stone fruit either… I’ll be lining up at the market again in 2 days time! 🙂
Your tart looks fab. Oh to have a bowlful of ripe nectarines at the moment! Rose water sounds as though it should work perfectly, which just goes to show that sometimes things don’t mix how you think they should.
Hi Anne, my thought was to add a very subtle hint of rose to the frangipane, but it ended up overpowering the flavour of the nectarines… not good at all! I’d hesitate to try it again, even if reducing the amount to just a couple of drops. I really do love rose water, but feel a little scarred by it right now! 😉
Nectarine truly is a fabulous fruit. And, see what you have done with it. You brought it to a new stardom! Wow! I love to pin this for keeps. Wow!
Thanks so very much Fae! For me, it’s a toss up between nectarines and cherries, as my favourite stone fruit – both seem to disappear as soon as they hit the fruit bowl! Lovely that the kids are as excited about them as I am… 🙂
Your tart looks delicious Margot. I love frangipane with any fruit. I have had lots of success with Maggie Beer’s sour cream pastry but I always make it with salted butter and leave big pieces to make a rough puff, using it like puff pastry rather than a base, I find it too short. It’s great for parcels and pie tops though.
Ah, that’s very interesting Sandra! I’m going to try the pastry again sometime soon and follow your tips – thank you. It certainly is a very short pastry, not that I minded that so much, but just seemed to have very little flavour… the salted butter makes total sense! Cheers, Margot
I think a nectarine tart sounds perfect.. it looks like a beautiful tart!
a pity about the the tart crust though..I totally understand what you mean by how sometimes one’s ideas don’t translate to deliciousness and the disappointment that follows. I experience it all too often!
Thanks Jo! It’s always worth trying out new variations… but yes, disappointing when it doesn’t work out as well as you’d hoped! In this case it sounds like I probably should have used salted butter instead of unsalted… guess I’ll have to try it again… just once more… to see if works! 🙂
Margot, your Tarte is beautiful and I love the filling with the frangipane, it sounds so tasty. Now it’ s your turn to send me a large slice of your delicious Tarte. Have a nice day 🙂
Wouldn’t that be wonderful Linda… to be able to send little treats like this to one another! I really wish I could! 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind comment.
While I’m writing it’s snowing… can you believe it? I don’t know what I’d give for fresh nectarines!!! Your tart look amazing and perfectly shaped!
It’s a strange world we live in, isn’t it Margherita!? The seasons constantly rotating… bringing all sorts of different delights to indulge in! I imagine that living in a winter wonderland must have it’s own unique beauty and charm as well. 🙂
Such a pretty Tart! 🙂
So kind of you – thanks!
A “Tart for Summer”. Don’t it make my brown eyes green! Though I certainly wouldn’t deny you your Summer, Margot, it sure would be nice to be on your side of the globe, welcoming the warm weather instead of …
This tart is another winning recipe and one that I’m going to store away for future days when our weather will be a bit more enviable.
You’ll have to come out and visit sometime John, when the U.S. is in the depths of winter and we’re soaking up the sun over here! 🙂 As always, it’s wonderful to hear from you – thank you!
I visited Oz some 20 years ago, Margot, and loved it. I went to Sydney, Cairns, and then Brisbane before leaving for Fiji. I’ve always said I’d be coming back and my thoughts haven’t changed in the slightest. If anything, I’ve more reason to return. I’ve got you and my other blogging friends to meet. 🙂
Book it in John! We’d love you to come and visit us here in Canberra! 🙂
I can’t say I am enjoying the heat at the moment but I am loving the appearance of all these beautiful summer stone fruits. Your nectarine tart looks amazing Margot so colourful and I love the addition of pistachios, I can see why you went with the rosewater it’s just a shame you weren’t happy with it. Have a great week! Karen
Hi Karen, I get the feeling it’s going to be a crazy, hot summer this year… seems so unseasonably hot already! Lots of chilled fruit salads and cooling lemonades will be required…
I used ½ a teaspoon of rosewater and it really overpowered the whole flavour of the tart, perhaps a few drops would have been wiser… or none at all! Hope you’re having a great week too! M.xx
I still can’t get over the fact that you are having warm weather right now when it’s freezing cold here. It’s just so amazing! So jealous of all the fresh summer fruits! 😀 This tart is just to die for. Gorgeous!!
It’s surprising how quickly the seasons seem to fly past these days Angie… you’ll be back in warm, sunny days before you know it! 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment.
Looks amazing! So excited for stone fruit season 🙂
Me too – looking forward to a few apricots soon as well! Thanks so much Laura!
Oh how beautiful, you are making me wish for summer produce. Since we are fast approaching winter a sweet nectarine and a warm summer breeze sound awfully good right now. Your tart is beautiful, I adore that top photo. Just gorgeous.
Thanks Suzanne, the abundance and variety of the summer produce is fantastic… always a joy to wander around the markets this time of year! Cheers, M.xx