Peach Melba Cream Tart

The writing group retreat was yesterday. It was absolutely fabulous. I made progress at some crucial spots in the novel that had been holding me back. I also gained so many ideas for new writing projects, that now I am at a loss to figure out which one to do next. But the best parts of the retreat were the incredible house and extensive grounds where we worked, the excellent food that everyone pitched in, and spending the whole day with my friends and listening to them read their freshly-written work. Better bookmark this post, because this gathering of brilliant minds will be a known as a famous historical event someday.

I brought a peach melba cream tart, using this Paula Deen recipe. It turned out perfectly. Unlike many of Paula's desserts, this was not overly sweet. The custard was light, creamy, and not eggy (most of my custard experiments are eggy). Next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I will investigate ways to make the crust lower-calorie (ground almonds would be nice), but this one was so incredibly easy to make, even for people who are timid of pastry like me. I dumped all the ingredients in the food processor (forgetting to soften the butter). Two pulses and I still had loose flour. Four pulses and I had fine crumbs. Six pulses and I had coarse crumbs. Eight pulses and I had a ball of dough.

I took the above picture before I brushed on the glaze. I wanted to take a picture quickly before something terrible and unforeseen happened to the tart. So, imagine it looking shiny.

The only change I made from the original recipe was to scatter raspberries over the top to make it pretty. But I would recommend using frozen and slightly thawed peaches instead of the fresh, to avoid the hassle of blanching and peeling. I think that nearly any kind of fruit could be substituted. I served this with freshly whipped cream, but I think that vanilla bean ice cream would be just as complimentary.