Some bake seasonally but I bake "on sale." Meaning, I find my inspiration on what to bake for the week based on what's for sale for the week. I do my "big" grocery shopping on the weekends, usually an hour outside of Brooklyn. And when I grocery shop, not only do I grocery shop for the essentials but also whatever catches my eye that's on sale. And then I come home and try to figure out what the heck to do with it. For some unknown reason, peaches were drastically marked down this week. Is it April? I'm not going to complain because they were perfectly ripe and juicy.
Tarte Tatin is arguably one of the most classic French desserts. Usually served with apples, it's loved all over, from high end restaurants to countryside home kitchens. It's super simple to put together and yields impressive results. It's brimming with flavors of caramel and peaches with a buttery, flaky crust. Serve it warm or at room temperature, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some crunchy toasted nuts. If you're feeling adventurous, swap out the honey for hot honey for a spicy sweet dessert. Preferably, use a cast iron skillet to make this dessert.
Bowl #1
2 cups [280 grams] all-purpose flour
1/3 cup [90 grams] granulated sugar
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 whole egg
7 tablespoons water, ice cold
Bowl #2
1/4 cup [65 grams] light brown sugar
1/2 stick [56 grams] butter
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of salt
On the sidelines:
2 peaches, sliced thinly
Egg wash
1
Place all the ingredients from the first bowl into the bowl of a food processor. Pulsing for just a few seconds at a time, mix until everything is just barely combined. Scrape into a ball.
2
On a lightly floured surface or in between two pieces of parchment paper, roll out the pie dough to a disc roughly 10 inches in diameter. Place dough into the fridge to chill and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3
Place all the ingredients from the second bowl into a cast iron skillet. Over medium-low heat, cook until the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted. Place the sliced peaches into the skillet. However you place them into the skillet now will, more or less, be how the top of the tarte tatin will look so keep that in mind.
4
Remove the chilled disc of dough from the fridge and carefully place over the caramel and peaches in the skillet. Tuck any overlap into the side of the skillet or trim off with a knife or scissors. Carefully prick the dough with a fork to create little holes to allow the steam to escape while baking. Lightly beat an egg with a splash of water and brush on top of the dough.
5
Bake until the crust is deeply golden brown, roughly 40 minutes or so. Remove and let cool for an hour or so.
6
Place a large plate on top of the skillet. Carefully flip the plate and skillet upside down to unmold the tarte tatin. If any peaches remain in the skillet, just carefully place them back from where they were.
