Cranberries. So many people just associate cranberries with Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they really are a nice addition to almost any season. Take this tart. It’s loaded with peaches, that are just beginning to show up in the shops (though not locally; these are from Georgia. Local ones won’t be for a few months yet). The peaches as very sweet, and of course I added brown sugar to caramelize them. The cranberries, which I had in my freezer from last fall (you can find frozen cranberries in the shops all year though) add a nice “cut” to the sweetness. And even thought they are “fall like”, the flowers as a lattice does make this a summery pie. Yum.
Ingredients
for the pastry crust
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
5 medium peaches, pitted and cut to 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
You will also need: a 7-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball, divide, then flatten into two disks. Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375F. Place cut peaches on one half of a sheet pan, and the cranberries on the other half. Sprinkle brown sugar over the fruits and berries. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The peaches should be soft but still holding their shape. The cranberries will have popped and the juices will be in the pan. Remove to two separate work bowls to cool completely (pour the juice from both the peaches and cranberries in with the peaches). You can even do this the day before. Once completely cooled, add the salt and corn starch to the peach mixture. It will look cloudy, but not to worry; this will disappear with baking.
Preheat oven to 375F again. Spray your tart pan liberally with baking spray.
Roll out one of the dough disks to a 10 inch circle. Place in tart pan and crimp edges. Dock the pastry with a fork a few times, all the way to the edges. Spoon peach mixture onto the tart pan, and then spoon the cranberries over the peaches (you don’t want the cranberries to completely cover the peaches, just dotted strategically. Roll out the other dough disk and using small flower cookie cutters, cut out different sized flowers and leaves. Lightly brush each cut out with the beaten egg wash and then decorate the top of the pie, anchoring some flowers to the side of the crust, some to each other and leaving some loose. The pie should be about 60-70% covered with flowers. Place on a baking sheet (in case it boils over) and place on the center rack in the oven.
Bake until filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 55 minutes to an hour. If the top gets too brown before the hour, cover with aluminum foil. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Ice cream is always good.
