In my almost 10 years of blogging on this website (!!!), I’ve run across a few snags here and there. Sometimes they’re code-related, HTML-related, or PHP-related. Sometimes it’s hosting issues. Other times it’s photography problems- like when you take photos, then everyone eats, and then you upload the pictures to your laptop the next day and every. Single. One. Is. Blurry. Grrrrr…

And then other times it’s just that you’re essentially making up a recipe and it might not always work out.

Sometimes the recipes come out delicious, but aren’t the prettiest. And for a food blogger that’s kind of a nightmare. Because the entire point is to make something so good and so beautiful that people can’t resist making it and it goes “viral.” Not that those peaches above need any help being beautiful… they’re just stunning and perfect. Thank you, Washington State Stone Fruit growers.

And the slices of this particular tart are also beautiful, especially when topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

GORGEOUS. Makes ya wanna dive in head first.

But then we have the entire tart. In its entirety. The whole she-bang. It’s not the most gorgeous tart I’ve ever made. But it’s GOOD. And also- it’s easy.

What happened was this: the peaches I mentioned in a previous post arrived on a very hot day. The delivery man did not knock on the door to let anyone know they had arrived. When I finally saw them, they weren’t even out there more than a half hour (I was constantly checking for the delivery), and yet the cold packs inside were hot and, sad to say, a lot of the peaches were out of commission for canning. Very soft, almost mush, falling apart. So I separated the firmer ones from the soft and whatever ones I had to use ASAP, I baked them into a tart so as not to let them go to waste. That’s why the peach slices don’t look as firm as they normally would.

Actually I had to throw out more peaches than I wanted to. Which is why I only made two canned recipes this year (peach salsa and peach ketchup). 

I was a little disappointed but making tarts out of squishy peaches is basically like making lemonade out of lemons, right?

And when I say it’s easy, I swear to you that this is insanely stupidly SIMPLE. A shortcut pie crust that takes no time at all, a filling that consists of only sliced peaches and a super easy caramel sauce. That’s all.

PEACH CARAMEL TART

Ingredients:

Shortcut pie/tart crust*:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 11 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Filling:

• 2-3 large peaches, washed, peeled and sliced

Caramel:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Make the crust:
   1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly drizzle in the butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks moist and crumbly.
   2. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart/pie dish. You can crimp the edges decoratively or leave them rustic.
2. For the pie:
   1. Preheat the oven to 375° degrees F. Slice peaches and set aside.
   2. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove and fill with sliced peaches. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove & pour caramel over the top.
   3. Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes or until caramel is evenly “melted” on top of the peaches. Remove and let cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream while slightly warm.
3. For the caramel topping:
   1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add brown sugar and heavy cream and whisk constantly over medium heat until all the sugar is completely dissolved.
   2. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for about 3 minutes, not one second more. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. See #2 above for the rest.

If you make this you do not have to use overripe mushy peaches. You can use firm, fresh peaches. But it does work with mushy ones too, as you can see.

And no, its never going to be really pretty, because caramel sauce has a color that kind of dulls the peach color, but boy is it delicious.

*Shortcut pie crust recipe courtesy of The Splendid Table.

Soundtrack: Food Network on TV.

Sources & credits: White ceramic tart pan; Flying Tiger USA, tea towel; Ikea.