kirkcudbright: (kittinz)
[personal profile] kirkcudbright
Last summer, we bought a peach tree (from the late lamented Lexington Gardens). Last fall, the landscapers for the subdivision builders next door whacked it badly with a weed trimmer, doing major damage to the bark. This spring, it sprang back, and this summer it gave us more peaches than it could physically support (broke a branch that we failed to thin sufficiently).

The blueberries are also happy to have us back from vacation. Standing in one spot in front of one bush, I picked two quarts. Last year, the spring rains knocked most of the blossoms off before they could be pollinated, so this comeback is as gratifying as the peach tree.

It's beastly hot, so tonight's dinner was all on the grill - pork ribs, grilled potato salad (from the garden), and this rustic peach and blueberry tart:



Start with your favorite pastry recipe. In this case, I used a standard pie crust recipe of 6 tablespoons butter, roughly 1½ cups flour, and about a tablespoon of cold water. (If you want to get fussy, like the people who write recipes, and use chilled butter and ice water, and re-chill the dough after every step, be my guest.) Roll the dough into a 15" circle on parchment paper (15" being the width of the parchment).

Slice about a pound of small ripe peaches, add about a pint of blueberries, toss with about a quarter cup of sugar, and spread in the middle of the pastry. (If you're the sort of person who likes to measure things, call it a 10" circle, and that will leave you the 2½" border that the recipes call for.)

Fold the edges of the pastry over the fruit, obviously leaving the center uncovered. This can be as plain or as fussy as you want, but you should try to avoid cracking or tearing the pastry, because that will let the juices out. OTOH, that's sort of inevitable. Brush it with an egg wash, milk, water, or nothing, as you please, and sprinkle with sugar.

If you'r an indoor cook, bake it at 400 for the better part of an hour. A rimmed baking sheet is a good idea, since it will leak juices on your oven floor.

Or heat a pizza stone on a gas grill for 10 minutes (or until you lose patience), and slide the tart on the parchment onto the stone. Trim the overhanging parchment so it doesn't catch fire, but not so much that the fruit juices leak onto the stone itself. (Of course I'm just guessing.) Proceed with the baking.

Finally, learn a little self-control, and let it cool to at least warm before serving. Srsly.

Date: 2009-08-17 04:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] johnromkey.livejournal.com
I've never quite understood this... why do we always want to grill when it's beastly hot out?

looks delicious, though :-)

Date: 2009-08-17 04:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lyonesse.livejournal.com
that looks awesome. i'm sorry i didn't get to your garden/pets at all, being sick is teh suck :/

Date: 2009-08-17 06:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mamishka.livejournal.com
*MUNCHCHOMPCHEWGOBBLESLURPMASTICATE!*

God that looks nummy! :)~

Date: 2009-08-17 12:30 pm (UTC)
dpolicar: (Default)
From: [personal profile] dpolicar
Coincidentally, I also made a peach/blueberry pie on Friday, with just about the same recipe... but for some reason it didn't gel, and had way too much juice. So it turned into peach/blueberry/pie-crust goulash. Yummy, though. Yours is pretty.

Date: 2009-08-17 01:07 pm (UTC)
ceo: (Default)
From: [personal profile] ceo
That looks extremely yummy.

Lexington Gardens has folded? That's a shame. When I was in junior high I walked past it every day .

Date: 2009-08-17 02:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] foms.livejournal.com
That looks almost unreasonably good.

Date: 2009-08-17 08:56 pm (UTC)
zahraa: (Default)
From: [personal profile] zahraa
Looks very yummy! It was nice to see you!

Date: 2009-08-17 11:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] deguspice.livejournal.com
Last month, the Boston Globe had a recipe for making a similar "pie" that they called a "crostata". Both your's and their pies look yummy.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/07/15/crostata_with_all_butter_pastry_recipe/

Date: 2009-08-18 03:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kirkcudbright.livejournal.com
When it's beastly hot out, we grill because it doesn't make the outside any hotter, and (more importantly) it doesn't make the house any hotter.

Date: 2009-08-18 03:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kirkcudbright.livejournal.com
For blueberry pie, I have to a) use corn starch or some other thickener, b) bake it until the juices are not only running but bubbling, and c) let it really cool before serving.

For this, maybe the juices leaking all over the pizza stone and the grill was a good thing...

Date: 2009-08-18 03:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kirkcudbright.livejournal.com
Lexington Gardens closed last fall. They had a big auction in the spring, but I haven't been past there recently to find out what's replaced it (probably a subdivision, but you never know).

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