Rustic Blueberry and Nectarine Tart

Rustic Blueberry Nectarine Tart

RUSTIC BLUEBERRY & NECTARINE TART by Left-Brain Marilyn

The fruits in the filling complement each other beautifully, while the outstandingly flaky pastry is thin and very straightforward to make. There is no crimping of pastry edges, juices running over in the oven or worry about shrinkage.

Both the pastry and the cooked filling can be made up to a day ahead to sit in the refrigerator until needed, thus this tart’s perfect for entertaining. See variations below for using other fruit.

Makes 6-8 servings

Pastry:
1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60g) cake and pastry (soft) flour
1/4 tsp (1g) salt
1/2 cup (112g) cold unsalted butter (or if salted, omit adding the above salt)
6 tbsp (90 mL) ice-cold water
1/2 tsp (2 mL) white vinegar

Filling:
4 cups (640g) mixture of diced nectarines and blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (35g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

1. To make pastry, place flours and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate the butter into long shreds directly into the flour mixture. Then use your hands to work together until just small pieces of butter remain. Mix water with vinegar and pour into the flour mixture; stir until a dough is just formed. If a bit dry, drizzle in a teaspoon or two (5- to 10-mL) of extra water.
2. Gather the pastry and place in the middle of a large piece of plastic wrap. Using your hand while pulling up the edges of the plastic wrap to help form neat edges, pat the dough into a cake about 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick. Wrap up the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to a day.
3. Meanwhile place fruit in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir sugar with flour and add to fruit. Stir frequently until fruit releases its juices and mixture just comes to a boil and thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cool uncovered. Filling can be covered and refrigerated until ready to make tart.
4. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). On a lightly-floured surface, roll out pastry until about 16-inches (40 cm) in diameter; edges will be rough. Lift onto a parchment paper or foil-covered baking sheet.
5. Spoon filling into pastry center forming a circle about 12-inches (30-cm) in diameter. Lift the uncoated outer ring of pastry over the filling, decoratively overlapping and pleating where needed. The center of the tart will not be covered with pastry.
6. Bake in center of oven for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool 5 to 10 minutes still on pan on a rack; then slide tart onto the rack and remove pan. Cool completely. Slide tart onto a large flat plate or cutting board for serving. Although best eaten within hours of emerging from the oven, the tart can be reheated if needed to restore the crisp crust.

Cherry filling:
4 cups (640g) pitted tart cherries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 tbsp (17g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

Apple or Pear filling:
4 cups (640g) peeled and diced apples or pears
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 tbsp (17g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon or ginger