Peach Tarte Tatin!

The delicate scent of peaches and their vibrant flavor are a quintessential summer experience. When in season I can't have enough fresh peaches, but I love the freshness and depth of flavor they impart to desserts. As the peach season is coming to an end, I wanted to use one of my favorite fruits in an easy yet delicious recipe!
This recipe started building up in my head a while ago, but at first I had a different idea than what I eventually did. I am pleased that I changed my mind!

As my recipe is a tarte, I had to think first of the crust. I thought about using my usual go-to galette recipe but then I read somewhere that cream cheese added to the galette dough makes it more delicious and flaky. I did just that and was quite pleased with the result.
I was planning on using a different stone fruit, but I ended up using peaches.
I had also bought beautiful thyme and lavender plants, so I wanted to experiment with these 2 flavors.

The technique I used for assembling the tarte is different from the method I usually use. I adopted the technique of a famous French chef called Christophe Michalak. I watched him make a classic apple tarte tatin but instead of placing the uncooked apples in the pan directly, he cooked them before with some butter, which made it much easier to assemble the fruits and pack them tightly so they won't shrink after cooking. His technique is really worth the extra effort as you get a much nicer tarte once flipped.

And now let's start with the crust!

For the crust you need:

• 400 g pastry flour
• 200 g cold butter and cut into small cubes
• 40 g cold cream cheese
• 20 g sugar
• 4 to 6 tbsp of ice water (or as needed)

The amount used here is for 2x 18 cm tart, I used half and froze the rest!

To get a flaky and delicious crust you need to work with  ingredients that are really cold. I start by mixing the dry ingredients in the food processor and place the container in the freezer for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can omit this step, I have done so in the past and have gotten very good results, but it is worth the time investment as the dough will be even more crumbly and flaky when all ingredients are cold. 

Take out the ingredients from the freezer, add the butter and the cream cheese to the flour mix and pulse for about 30 sec to one min maximum. Then add the icy cold water, one tbsp at a time. This is where you need to be careful not to add too much water and not to overwork your dough. Once the dough just barely comes together stop mixing. It is acceptable if the dough does not come together in a single ball, that's not the aim.

Now, line a clean working surface with cling film (or aluminum foil if you prefer), remove the dough from the food processor onto the cling film. Work the dough slightly with your hands so it comes together and shape it into a disk. Cover it with the cling film and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. It is better if you prepare the dough one day ahead, which is what I usually do.

The amount of water that you will add depends on the quality of the flour and the water contained in the butter. Don't be tempted to put more water as the dough might seem dry at first, but when it rests in the fridge, it comes together nicely as the butter is absorbed  by the flour.

For the filling:

• 500 g peach, cut into wedges
• 50 g of butter
• 2 to 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 tsp of dried lavender flowers

Combine all the ingredients into a pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a gentle simmer, for about 10 min or till the fruits are slightly tender. Make sure not to over cook the peaches. 

Drain and let it them cool.

For the caramel

• 120 g of sugar
• 30 g butter

In a small pot, put the sugar and on a gentle heat turn the sugar into a amber caramel, turn off the heat, add the butter, swirl well then cover the bottom of an 18 cm pan with the caramel. 

Once the caramel cools down it hardens so don't worry about that. Now arrange the peaches in the pan.

Roll the dough into an 20 cm disk, cover the pan, and slightly tuck the edges inside to seal the crust with the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C) for about 25-30 min or until the top has turned into a slightly golden brown color.

Take the pan out of the oven, and leave to cool for about 5 min.

Make sure to flip the Tarte Tatin over a big dish, leaving space for the caramel.

Place the dish over the pan, put a kitchen towel on top, and with a quick and secure movement flip it.
The caramel is very liquid at this stage so the tarte will come off easily.
The dough will soak the luscious and fruity caramel; add to that a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy a dreamy and decadent dessert!

Bon appetit!

Cherry Clafoutis, a summer classic.

Summer is an amazing season and although I´m not a fan of hot weather, however there are so many beautiful things to do and to enjoy during this season that make up for this annoying detail.

Any visit to the market during summer-time will greet you with a bounty of wonderful fresh fruits; a feast for the senses! As the season progresses different fruits and fruit varieties start to make their way to the market. By late spring and well into summer, fresh cherries can be easily found in Madrid markets. Cherries not only look good and taste great but they are also highly nutritious. With so many cherry varieties from sweet to sour, there's a cherry variety to just about any taste. 

I love all fruits, well almost, but cherries are one of my favorites and hold a special place in my heart. When I was still a kid, I used to pick them fresh from my uncle's orchard which was teeming with cherries, apricots and apples. Anyone who tasted super fresh fruits picked from trees knows that it is quite unrivaled, and until this day I don´t think I have tasted something as delicious as those cherries.

Nevertheless, the Jerte Valley of Spain is very popular for its cherries that are well appreciated and can be found in almost all markets. To make good use of this super fruit in its season and peak of freshness I decided to use it in several recipes starting with a classic: the cherry clafoutis.

Like many great classics, cherry clafoutis is a French dessert that is surprisingly easy to make and can be simply tweaked to meet your taste. The recipe has two main parts, the base and the fruit. The base is very simple and pretty similar to the crêpe batter. Once prepared it is poured over the fruits and the whole thing baked in the oven.

I should note that traditionally the recipe keeps the cherries whole, but I like them pitted. It's really up to you to pit the cherries or not. In case you don't want to pit them, do warn your guests!

For a 22 cm tart pan you need:

• 2 large eggs
• 70 g sugar
• 30 g melted butter
• 30 g ground almonds
• 75 g flour
• 125 ml milk plus 125 ml of cream
• 350 g  pitted cherries
• 1 tsp of kirch (optional) and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• dash of salt

First whisk the eggs with the sugar, the kirsh and the vanilla then add the melted butter and whisk again. Fold in the almonds, the flour and the salt. Slowly add the milk and cream while mixing to avoid having  any lumps.
Once you have a smooth batter you just need to pour it over the cherries that you have arranged in the generously buttered tart pan.

Bake for about 10 min at 200C then lower the temperature to 180C and bake for an additional 15 to 20 min.
You need to watch the clafoutis and take it out of the oven when it´s golden brown and still a bit soft in the middle. 

Serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream and a light dusting of powdered sugar. It´s also delicious when it´s cold, but I like to heat for 10 sec in the microwave before enjoying the leftovers!

Enjoy this wonderful classic dessert with its authentic and refreshing taste of summer!

Pear and Honey Cake.

I love fruits, but quite often I don't eat enough, so whenever I am baking something sweet, I often go for recipes that do well with fruits whether fresh or dried. Some fruits are best served fresh along with the baked sweets, but others really shine when baked. Fruits such as apples and pears are of this latter category.
This recipe incorporate pears which are excellent when baked. In fact, I think they taste even better when cooked properly and with respect.

This simple recipe features pears as the star ingredient spiced up with cinnamon and some citrus zest. It is quite simple, easily prepared in under 30 minutes, and is perfect served with tea or coffee.

For a 15 cm pan you need:

• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 80 g sugar
• 30 g honey
• 120 g flour, all purpose
• 100 g softened butter plus extra 10 g for the pan
• 3/4 tsp of baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• zest of half a lemon and half an orange
• 2 tbsp of orange juice (or lemon)

For the pan bottom you need:

• 2 pears 
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp of chopped almonds
• a sprinkle of cinnamon and the extra butter

Start by generously buttering the bottom of the pan, and the sides too. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon, and the almonds and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Add the cinnamon to the honey and heat a bit until it becomes rather runny.

Cream the butter with the sugar and the honey, using a whisk or a wooden spoon, (but save a tbsp of the honey to drizzle on the pears later). Add the eggs and mix well. Add the lemon and orange zest then fold in the flour. Finally add the orange juice and mix until combined.

Before adding the batter to the pan, slice the pears and arrange the pieces. Drizzle the remaining honey over the pear and pour in the batter.

Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 min in a preheated oven (180C). Let the cake cool about 5 minutes in the pan before removing it.

The cake is great with coffee, but you can also serve it with whipped cream, or Greek yogurt and honey. Rich and moist, it is perfect for breakfast, picnic or for a lazy and relaxed coffee break!