Peach Cream Piece Recipe

Make the dough

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.

Sprinkle ice water over the flour-butter mixture one tablespoon at a time, gently mixing after each addition until dough just comes together when pressed (you may not need all the water). Do not overwork.

Gather dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface roll the chilled dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Line a 9-inch tart pan (removable bottom) or individual tartlet pans with the dough, trim excess and prick the bottom lightly with a fork.

Line the shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake another 8–10 minutes until golden and dry. Cool completely on a rack.

Warm the milk

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Whisk egg mixture

In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and cornstarch until smooth and pale.

Temper the eggs by slowly pouring about 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil (about 2–3 minutes). Continue to cook and whisk for 30–45 seconds to cook out the cornstarch taste. Remove from heat.

Stir in the softened butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

Prepare peaches

Toss the sliced peaches with lemon juice and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Let macerate for 10–15 minutes to draw out juices and sweeten.

If you prefer a slightly saucier filling, reserve 2–3 tablespoons of the peach juices and fold them into the chilled pastry cream before assembly, whisking gently to combine.

Fill the cooled pastry shell with an even layer of chilled pastry cream, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.

Arrange the macerated peach slices on top of the cream in an overlapping pattern. Slightly press slices into the cream to anchor them.

Warm the apricot jam (if using) with 1 teaspoon of water in the microwave or a small saucepan until melted and brush lightly over the peaches to glaze. This step adds shine and helps preserve the fruit.

Chill the assembled tart for at least 30 minutes to set. Just before serving, dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve.