Peach Puff Pastry Tarts
Flaky store-bought puff pastry topped with juicy sliced peaches, cinnamon sugar, and a warm jam glaze a bakery-style tart ready in about half an hour.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- baking sheet
- Pastry brush
- small saucepan or bowl
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 2 ripe peaches thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp apricot or peach jam for glaze
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the pastry and add the peachesRoll the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 4 equal squares. Lightly score a ½-inch border around each square without cutting through the dough to create raised edges.For a deeper center, gently press it down or prick it a few times with a fork. Arrange thin peach slices inside the border, keeping the layer thin so the pastry bakes evenly.
- Season the peaches and add the egg washSprinkle the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon evenly over the top of each tart. This helps the peaches caramelize slightly as they bake, giving them a warm golden color. Beat the egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to coat just the scored border of each square, avoiding the peaches themselves.The egg wash is what gives the pastry its deep golden brown color and glossy sheen once baked.
- Bake and glaze the tartsPlace the tray in an oven preheated to 400°F and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up around the edges and turned a deep golden brown. While the tarts bake, warm the apricot or peach jam slightly so it's easier to brush on smoothly.As soon as the tarts come out of the oven, brush the warm jam over the peaches for a glossy finish. Let the tarts cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Keep the pastry cold right up until it goes into the oven, since a cold sheet puffs up much better than one that has softened at room temperature.
- Don't overload the center with peach slices a single, slightly overlapping layer bakes more evenly and keeps the border from collapsing under too much fruit.
- Press the center down gently before adding your peaches, or lightly prick it a few times with a fork, to create that sunken well effect seen in bakery-style tarts.
- Score, don't cut all the way through, so the border stays attached to the base while still being free to rise dramatically around the edges.
- Brush the glaze on while the tarts are still slightly warm, since it spreads more easily and gives a shinier, more even coat than glazing once they've fully cooled.
- If you'd rather work with one larger round instead of four squares, this same method also works well as a rustic peach galette with puff pastry just fold the edges of a single circle up and over the fruit instead of scoring individual borders.