Summer Fruit Tarts with Peaches and Apricots

Summer food is all about eating fresh produce grown locally. The markets are overflowing with fresh produce — tomatoes still warm from the sun, crisp cucumbers, tender zucchini, and endless bunches of herbs. At our table, salads appear daily, and no meal is complete without a bowl of fruit on the side.

This year has been especially generous for fruit, and the peaches and apricots are particularly sweet and juicy. I love serving them just as they are, or as a compote, but when we’re entertaining, which is happening a lot at the moment, I like to turn them into something a little more special.

One tart is never enough when friends are around, so I often make two. These twin summer tarts, filled with peaches, apricots and topped with an almond crumble, have become a family favorite. They’re simple, rustic, and look beautiful brought to the table.

To make this tart, you will need:

Peach and apricot summer tart recipe

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 1 hour Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• **Ingredients for the Pastry
• 200 g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 100 g fresh butter (salted or unsalted, as you prefer)
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons milk
• **For the Filling & Topping
• 3–4 ripe peaches
• 6–8 apricots
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• **For the almond crumble topping:
• 100 g ground almonds
• 50 g plain flour
• 50 g sugar
• 50 g butter

Making the Pastry

My grandmother was a fine pastry cook, and she taught me that good pastry starts with cold hands and a light touch. I always put the flour and salt into a big bowl, then cut the butter into small cubes directly into the flour. With my fingertips, I rub everything together until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.

Next comes the egg yolk, beaten with a little milk, which I pour in and cut through quickly with a knife. Once it starts to come together, I gather the dough with my hands — never overworking, because a little flakiness is what makes pastry so delicious. If the dough feels too dry, I add just a touch more milk.

Rolled out and nestled into the tart tins, the pastry rests in the fridge for 20 minutes. This pause gives me time to preheat the oven and slice up the fruit.

Preparing the Fruit

The peaches are peeled and sliced, the apricots quartered. Their color alone is enough to brighten the kitchen — all golden yellows and blush pinks.

Blind Baking the Pastry

To keep the tart base crisp, I line the pastry with parchment, weigh it down with baking beans (or chickpeas, which work just as well), and bake until the edges turn golden. After removing the parchment and beans, I return the pastry to the oven until the whole base is lightly golden.

A sprinkle of sugar across the warm pastry base gives the fruit a little caramelized sweetness. You need to judge the quantity according to your personal preferences, and to the flavour of the fruit.

Assembling the Tart

I cover the pastry base with the apricot quarters and peach slices, arranged snugly so there’s no pastry showing. Sometimes I bake them like this, but more often I add a crumble topping — ground almonds, a little flour, sugar, and butter rubbed gently together until it resembles fine crumbs. Scattered across the fruit, it bakes into a golden, nutty topping that makes the tart even more irresistible.

Baking and Serving

After half an hour in the oven, the tarts emerge bubbling and fragrant. The fruit is soft and jammy, the crumble crisp, the pastry golden.

I always let them cool just a little before serving, though it’s hard to resist diving straight in. Brought to the table on a summer evening, still warm, these tarts rarely last long. A generous slice, perhaps with a spoonful of cream or ice cream, is all you need.

Bon appétit!