From an award-winning food writer and chef-the breakthrough cookbook that identifies 12 micronutrient-rich foods that can help protect you against major disease and shows you how to turn them into mouthwatering dishes. A diet rich in nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, and vitamins, is not enough for our health. For optimum protection against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, we also need an abundance of micronutrients.
I am skeptical about frozen food, but frozen peaches taste better than most of the fresh ones available. (Unfortunately, this is true even during the summer.) To see for yourself, make this golden-crusted Italian tart. Leftovers, if there are any, are great for breakfast.
Makes 6 servings
Crust:
1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Filling:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 ounces frozen sliced peaches
1/4 cup peach or apricot preserves, or fruit spread
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup blueberry jam*
Set a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, place the flour, lemon zest, and salt in a mixing bowl, making a well in the center. Place the egg, butter, and granulated sugar in the well. Using a fork, lightly mix the egg, then gradually work the flour into the egg and butter until the mixture is crumbly. Rub the dough between your fingers for 2 minutes to blend the ingredients well. Press the dough into a ball and flatten it into a 5x1-inch disk on a sheet of waxed paper. Invert a bowl over the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper into an 11-inch disk. Removing 1 sheet of paper, fit the dough into a 9-inch loose-bottomed tart pan, fixing any tears with your fingers and bringing it three-quarters of the way up the sides. Line the crust with foil and weight it with dry beans.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes longer, until it is just golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Fill immediately or cover with foil and set the crust aside for up to 8 hours.
For the filling, combine the juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, 30 seconds. Add the peaches, cover, and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook until the fruit is translucent but still firm, 5 minutes longer. Reduce the heat. Pushing the fruit to 1 side, mix the preserves with the liquid, cooking until it melts, 1 minute. Add the blueberries and mix to glaze the fruit. Set aside to cool slightly, 10 minutes.
Coat the bottom of the crust with the blueberry jam. Spoon the warm fruit into the crust. Serve warm or at room temperature, within 2 hours.
Per serving: 402 calories, 13 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 69 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber
*Use only blueberry jam. Fruit spread does not seal the crust.
