Witamy!
Summer is here for most of us and fresh fruit is
available everywhere. Peter just came in
with bags of beautiful peaches, aromatic plums and sweet nectarines. These were shipped up from South America
but that’s the beauty of a global markets...we can enjoy the harvests year
round.
A stunning way to enjoy the bounty of these harvests is
in a delicious fruit tart. The main
stream grocery stores and commercial bakeries sell their versions for big
bucks, but they’re usually very sweet, and often full of artificial
ingredients. Those store-baked tarts are
often made with a cheap, lard-laden crust, they often contain a gooey pastry
cream under the fruit, and the fruit itself has been drenched in some sort of
heavy syrup. They are stunning to look
at but maybe not the healthiest dessert around.
Our way is to make a delicious yeasty shell and just fill
it with sliced fruit – nothing more and nothing less. Pure and simple. Fresh and delicious. All natural
and better for you. It’s the way to go!
Batter
- 1 packet dry yeast
- ½ cup milk, tepid
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ stick sweet butter
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Fruit Topping
4 cups sliced fruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots,
Italian plums, apples, all berries, or mix & match)
¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
To prepare the shell, combine the yeast with milk and 1
tablespoon of sugar. Let stand for 5
minutes. Mix in ½ cup of flour and place
the mixture in 150°F oven until it doubles in size.
Cream the butter and the remaining sugar until pale and
creamy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla,
and beat for 5 minutes. Add in the yeast
mixture. Add in the remaining flour in
small portions, while beating. Beat for
5 more minutes. Whip the egg whites and
salt until stiff. Fold into the dough.
Butter (or use baking spray) a 9 inch x 12 inch baking
pan and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Spread
the dough evenly in the prepared pan and cover with a light cloth or dish towel;
place in 150°F oven until the dough doubles in size.
Distribute all the fruit slices evenly on top of the
dough. Bake at 350°F for 30
minutes. Let cool. Cut into serving portions while still in the
pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just
before serving.
Smacznego!
PS We have plenty of outstanding fruit-based desserts
that aren’t so sweet, in our Polish Classic Desserts book. For a
personally dedicated and autographed copy, just click on the blue book cover at
the top of this page.