Peach and Custard Tartlets

17/11/2023

Peach and custard tartlets are a delicious and refined dessert, perfect for a summer meal finale or a sweet afternoon treat. Here is the recipe to prepare them:

Ingredients

For the shortcrust pastry:

200 g of all-purpose flour
100 g of cold butter, cubed
50 g of icing sugar
1 medium egg
1 pinch of salt

For the custard cream:

250 ml of whole milk
3 medium egg yolks
70 g of sugar
20 g of all-purpose flour or cornstarch
1 vanilla pod or a pinch of vanilla powder

For the topping:

2-3 ripe but firm peaches
Lemon juice (to prevent the peaches from oxidizing)
Apricot jelly or transparent jam for glazing (optional)

Preparation

Start with the shortcrust pastry: in a bowl, mix the flour and icing sugar. Add the cold butter and work quickly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and salt and mix until a ball is formed. Wrap in cling film and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard: heat the milk with the vanilla until it almost boils. In another bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy, then fold in the sifted flour. Pour the hot milk over the yolk mixture, mix well and return to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens. Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover with cling film touching the surface, and let cool.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3-4 mm. Line the tartlet molds with the pastry, prick the bottom with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely before unmolding.
Fill the cooled pastry bases with the custard cream.
Wash, slice the peaches thinly and arrange them on top of the cream in a decorative manner. Brush with a little lemon juice to prevent the peaches from browning.
For a shiny and protective final touch, you can warm some apricot jelly or transparent jam and brush it over the peaches with a kitchen brush.

Did you know?

Tartlets are very versatile and lend themselves to many variations. If you want to add an Italian touch, you could flavor the custard with a bit of amaretto liqueur or replace the peaches with typical Italian fruits, such as apricots or strawberries.