A peach cream tart, from Paula Deen, is the perfect treat to make you swoon. Peaches, a creamy custard, and a shortbread-like crust. The real beauty is that you can use fresh or canned peaches so that there’s a taste of summer any time you want it.
Adapted from Paula Deen | Paula Deen and Friends | Simon & Schuster, 2005
This is so pretty and good. Make it a couple of hours before the party and leave it at room temperature. The crust is like a shortbread cookie: you don’t have to roll it out, and it doesn’t get soggy.–Paula Deen
☞ Contents
Peach Cream Tart
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 stick (4 oz) butter softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
For the filling
- About 6 medium peaches* peeled and sliced
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup peach preserves or jelly
- 1 tablespoon frozen lemonade concentrate
Directions
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Place the flour, butter, and sour cream in a food processor and pulse to combine. When the dough has formed a ball, pat with lightly floured hands into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 10-inch (25-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom and 1/2-inch (12-mm) sides, or a round au gratin dish.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned.
- Let cool while preparing the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
Make the filling
- Peel and thickly slice the peaches. Arrange in overlapping circles on top of the crust, until it's completely covered. Overfill the crust, as peaches will draw up during cooking.
- Combine the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, and flour and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the peaches. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until the custard sets and is pale golden in color. Cover with an aluminum foil tent if the crust gets too dark.
- Move the tart pan to a wire rack to cool. When cool, remove the side wall of the pan.
Make the glaze
- Combine the preserves or jelly and lemonade. Spread with a pastry brush over the top of the warm tart.
- Serve the tart warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
*Can I used canned peaches instead?
You absolutely can! You’ll need 44 ounces of canned peaches (in light syrup) to make up the amount needed in the pie. That’s 2 cans, one each of 28 and 16 ounces. Drain them well and use just as you would the fresh sliced peaches. Frozen peaches aren’t recommended in this recipe as they just get too wet and they don’t work as well with the cream filling. And the sliced ones just look so pretty in this particular pie.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Despite the long baking time, this was very easy to prepare and has a beautiful presentation. Although I’d have liked a tastier crust, this did let the flavor of the peaches and custard shine through. I was expecting a rich shortbread crust, but this was very flaky and not sweet. (Of course, no sugar is listed in the recipe for the crust!) Leftovers from dessert became the next morning’s breakfast (and mid-day snack).
This recipe couldn’t have been easier to make and resulted in a light, lovely clafouti-like dessert that’s “just sweet enough.” The smoothness of the filling binds the flavorful sliced fruit and is nicely contrasted by the delicate shortbread-like crust. The tart is buttery and infused with enough of the peach’s subtle essence to prevent a pronounced eggy flavor in the custard. Definitely pack the crust with as much fruit as you can, be generous.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I’ve made the tart and want to serve it tomorrow. Should I put in fridge or leave it out over night?
MJ, we’d recommend keeping your tart in the fridge if storing for more than a few hours.
In the accompanying photograph of the finished tart, there appears to be what looks like sugar sprinkled over the surface, I assume after glazing with the jam/lemonade, Am I right? Either way, I made this today … haven’t tasted it yet, but it’ll be dessert this evening.
Your tart is gorgeous, Jack! The recipe doesn’t call for additional sugar, although you certainly could if that’s your preference. I suspect if you’re using ripe peaches the tart will be quite sweet already.
Can I use a tart dish with no removable sides or bottom?
Promoting Paula Deen? Come on, guys. I’m not ready to forget her bigotry.
Yes, Tina, absolutely.
This tart is so simple to make and looks beautiful. The only thing I will change is to add some sugar to the crust dough. Everyone who tasted it said it needed to be sweeter. Overall it’s worth making again.
Excellent. So glad you liked it, Taryn.
This tart is so tasty that when I asked my husband if he would take it to work with him, he said no, that he planned to eat it all himself.
Your husband is my kind of man, Vicki!