Easy Puff Pastry tart

5 from 12 votes

This puff pastry tart is super simple and can be made using several types of fruit. Peach, apples, or pears are all delicious and each just a little different.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Defrost the puff pastry on counter40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert, easy recipe, fruit, puff pasty

Servings: people

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Sally Humeniuk

Equipment

Baking sheet
Rolling pin
Parchment paper
Pastry brush
Mixing bowls

Ingredients

1 sheet Puff pastry sheet, defrosted on counter for 40 minutes or overnight in refrigerator
1 lb peaches *see notes for making using pears or apples, fresh or frozen, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch slices
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly ground, if available
¼ cup granulated sugar, (2 oz)
1 large egg, for the egg wash
2 Tbsp milk or water, for the egg wash
1 dash salt, for the egg wash
½ cup Cake crumbs, 1 ½ oz. by weight, fresh or frozen and thawed (see notes for substitution and explanation)
¼ cup Almonds, sliced, optional
2 Tbsp Coarse sugar for dusting the crust

Instructions

Prep the fruit for the tart:

Toss 1 lb. of sliced peaches in a bowl with ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400F° and place the oven rack at one place below center.

Prep the puff pastry for the tart:

Carefully unfold and place the puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a rolling pin (if you have a mini one, or pasta roller, those both work great), lightly roll the pastry sheet just a little larger (about 1-inch either way) so that you can cut out a 10-inch circle from the dough. You can also roll out the dough before placing on the parchment lined baking sheet and then carefully place the dough on the sheet. This works better if you don't have a mini rolling pin.
Cut out the 10-inch circle from the dough, using a template or find a 10-inch plate if you have one and trace it.

Assemble the tart:

In a small bowl, mix 1 egg with 2 Tablespoons milk or water and add a dash of salt. Mix together with a fork until mixed well.
Using a pastry brush, brush the outside 1-inch perimeter of the puff pastry circle lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle 1.5 ounce cake crumbs in the center of the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Mound the peach mixture on top of the cake crumbs, leaving behind excess juice, save the juice for after the tart is baked. Before folding the pastry, sprinkle all but about 1 Tablespoon of almonds on top of the fruit, if using.
Fold the edges of the puff pastry over the fruit, pleating the dough as necessary, about every 2" or so. Brush the pleated edge of the pastry lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the coarse sugar all around. Sprinkle or place the remaining almond slices on the outside of the pastry for a nice look.

Bake the tart (Two temperatures used - Take note to avoid burning):

Bake the tart at the preheated 400F° oven for only 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350F° (do not open the oven door) and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the outer crust turns a nice golden brown. If the crust seems to be browning too quickly, place a square of aluminum foil over the tart for the remaining baking time.
Place the baking sheet with the tart on a cooling rack. Now drizzle the leftover juice from the fruit/sugar mixture over the fruit. The puff pastry edge will stand up a little now, leaving a bit of a gap between the fruit and the crust now. If you like, after drizzling the remaining juice over the fruit, gently push the center of the fruit out to fill that gap. Not necessary, but looks a little better.
Serve warm or cold. The tart is delicious with a dollop of whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The favorite way for us to serve is to place a warm piece of tart on plate and then pour about 2 tablespoons, or how much you desire, of heavy cream NEXT to the tart, not on it. Then as you eat the tart, scoop your bite into a bit of the cream. This is heaven.

Reheating instructions:

If you have any leftover tart or want to bake ahead of time and reheat for later, I would only make about 4 hours ahead of time, then reheat in the microwave 20 seconds at a time, or a 400F° oven for 5 minutes. The tart can stay at room temperature before reheating for this amount of time. Any longer than this, and you risk the bottom crust becoming a little saturated with the juices from the fruit.

Notes

Cake crumbs are used to absorb some of the liquid created by the fruit and sugar but also gives a nice texture to the tart. I buy a loaf cake from my local grocery store's bakery department, pre-sliced (vanilla or lemon), and keep it in my freezer to use as needed. If you don't have cake crumbs, use a slice of white or wheat bread, with the crust trimmed off; process in chopper or food processor until crumbled well and then add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or lemon zest and pulse a couple more times to combine. I would then measure 1/2 cup of it and use that for the cake crumbs.
Using different types of fruit:
Pears- If using pears for the tart, peel and slice slightly unripe pears for the recipe. They'll soften as the tart bakes. Use nutmeg and sliced almonds as in the peach option.
Apples- Use a nice baking apple depending on the tartness you like. Fuji and Gala are both delicious in the recipe. If your apples are super crisp, after you toss with the sugar, etc., place in the microwave and heat for 15 seconds. This helps to get the apples soft enough when baking. Use nutmeg or cinnamon or a combination. Almonds or chopped pecans work well for the apple option.

Nutrition