I’ve been making a lot of this kind of tart these days, whether is be stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums or apricots, or blueberries, currants or cherries. I am sure that I will do the same with apples when that season rolls around. It’s easy and the streusel is a great contrasting crunchy texture to the soft and sweet. Fruit. Notice that I actually bake the streusel separately and then sprinkle it on the pie after baking. I have found with super juicy fruits or berries, the streusel can be a little too gloppy, and by adding it at the end, it stays nice and crisp.
Ingredients
for the pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3-6 tablespoons ice cold water
for the filling
4-6 ripe peaches, plums, apricots, pluots, nectarines, pitted/cored and cut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon corn starch
For the streusel topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Prepare your crust: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, blending until the mixture resembles coarse sand (with some larger pieces of butter). Add in four or five tablespoons of the ice water, using a fork to mix the dough together. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together in a slightly crumbly ball. Turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into a flattened disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9- or 10-inch pie tart with a removable bottom with baking spray. Line a second baking dish (I used a quarter sheet) with parchment,
In a work bowl, combine the prepared fruit, sugar, spices and corn starch. Blend thoroughly. The mixture will have a slightly cloudy look from the corn starch. In another work bowl, Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, spices and sugar. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a fork until it looks like coarse sand. Clump the streusel into small balls and place on the parchment-lined pan. Chill in the fridge whilst you continue working.
On a lightly floured counter, roll out your pie dough to 1/3 inch thick. Line the prepared tart shell with the rolled-out dough, removing any excess and crimping a pretty rim. Pour in the place in the fruit in a circle and pour over any liquid. Place the tart and the streusel, on the separate pan, in the oven.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling in bubbling and the streusel is golden. Let both cool separately, for a minimum of 30 minutes. Just before serving, remove the tart from it’s pan and sprinkle on the streusel topping. Serve slightly warm with ice cream, vanilla custard of whipped cream.
