Bourbon Peach Tart

After months of creating a dessert cycle my boss vetoed peach cobbler as a dessert even though it was a top seller. Because of the nature of my place of employment I have to choose desserts that are very traditional as many of the patrons are older and expect to see things that are familiar. While I would love to use unique flavor combinations I am limited as to what I can serve that my boss will approve. With peach cobbler vetoed due to its simplicity I started to brainstorm as to what could take its place. I knew I still wanted to use peaches and desserts with alcohol always sell so I thought why not make a bourbon peach tart? With a combination of recipes from Nancy Silverton, Cook’s Illustrated, and my own, I came up with this dessert. Happy Eating!

 

Bourbon Peach Tart
For the crust (adapted from Nancy Silverton’s recipe):

• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Dash of salt
• 12 oz cold butter, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons ice water
• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

• 6 pounds canned peaches drained (save 1 cup juice)
• 1.5 cups bourbon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the crisp topping (from Cook’s Illustrated):

• 12 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 1.5 cups pecans or whole almonds, chopped coarse (or chopped fine if mixing topping by hand)-

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Process

1. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. The larger the lumps the flakier the dough.
2. Add the ice water and vanilla extract and pulse until mixture starts to combine and pull away from the sides.
3. Wrap dough in plastic and store in the refrigerator about 3o minutes (you can take this time to prepare the topping and filling).
4. Meanwhile combine 1 cup of bourbon, peaches, brown sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
5. Create a slurry with corn starch and water and add to the pot. Return to a boil for about 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and let cool, add the rest of the bourbon. (This allows for a slightly stronger bourbon taste as the mixture gets cooked again later on. )
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farehnheit
8. For the crisp topping, combine all ingredients except the nuts in food processor and pulse until mixture resembles a course meal. Add the nuts and pulse 3-4 times until a larger meal. Do not pulse too much or it will turn to a paste.
9. Now finish your crust. Roll out crust to about 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch thick. Mold dough into a greased tart pan, cutting away any excess with a knife.
10. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights and bake until edges are very lightly browned. About 20-25 minutes.
11. Now put it all together!
12. Remove from oven and fill with peach filling, using a perforated spoon to remove any excess liquid. (Some liquid is okay but too much makes for a runny tart).
13. Top with crisp topping making sure to cover all visibility of peaches and bake another 20 minutes until edges are boiling slightly and top is browned.

Serve warm with ice cream for a nice summer treat!