Peach Plum Pignoli — “THREE P TART”

Followers of Spectacularly Delicious may recall the blueberry semifreddo scandal of July 4th, 2011. Once again invite to dine chez Weiss, this time around I was determined to present a dessert that lived up to its billing.

The sage advice in Ghostbusters’ theme came to mind, albeit with a twist ending — “If there’s something weird, and it don’t look good — Who ya gonna call?” Good Housekeeping! The famed test kitchens and execellent series of cookbooks are my tried, tested and trusted recipe resource.  We have GH to thank for this buttery shortbread-esque crust.

The nifty rectangular tart pan was a yard sale find. $1 for this one and its twin (not shown).

Peaches, plums and pignoli: this “3 P” tart was an qualified triumph out here in East Hampton and no doubt will be a winner as well chez vous.

PEACH PLUM PIGNOLI TART RECIPE

1 1/4 c. + 1 T. + 1 t. flour
1/4 c. + 1/3 c. sugar
cinnamon
7  T. butter, softened
2/4 lb. fresh peaches
3/4 lb. fresh plums
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. pignoli

Peel the peaches: bring a pot of water to a full boil.  Lower the peaches into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. Let simmer for 90 seconds then remove with the spoon and run under cold water to arrest the cooking. When cool enough to handle, peel off the loosened skin.  Slice each peach in half, remove the pit, and slice the halves into 1/2″ wedges.

Slice the plums in half, remove the stone and slice each half into 1/2″ wedges.

Toss the peaches and plums in a bowl with the 1 T. lemon juice.  Sprinkle with  1 T. + 1 t. flour, 1/3 c.  sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, toss to coat evenly, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°. In a bowl stir together 1 1/4 c. of the flour, 1/4 .c sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.  Add the softened butter and with your hands mix it all together.  The dough will become clumpy and be able to be rolled in a loose ball. Press the dough into a 9″ tart pan (round or rectangular) with a removable bottom.  Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides.

Layer the peach and plum slices into the tart dough, alternating the light peaches with the darker plum slices.  Neatness counts. Sprinkle the pignoli over the top.

Place the tart pan on foil-lined cookie sheet (to catch any leakage). Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. The crust will be golden brown, the pignoli toasted and the fruit will be tender.  Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let cool. When ready to serve carefully remove the tart from the pan.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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