Ingredients:
1/2 sheet pre-made frozen pastry puff
1/3 cup almond cream*
5–6 peaches (not too ripe) cut into thin slices
Melted butter for brushing
Vanilla sugar** for sprinkling
1 egg, beaten
Roll the puff pastry into a circle 1/8-inch thick. Work quickly to keep it from getting warm. Spread the almond cream in the center out to 1.5 inches from the edge of the circle. Starting from the outside working in, slightly overlap the slices in a spiral toward the center. Fold the edges over the peaches crimping as you go. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Back at 375 F for 35–45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the fruit has been caramelized.
*Almond cream
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. butter
5.5 oz. almond paste
1 egg
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. rum
Cream butter and almond paste. Add eggs one at a time to mixture, and then add cornstarch and rum (if using). Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
**Vanilla sugar
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 new vanilla bean or two used beans
Slice the new bean down the center lengthwise. Using the back of the knife, scrape the seeds out and mix into the sugar. Place the sugar and the bean into an airtight container for at least a week. The sugar will absorb the oils in the bean.
-Mary Brown Malouf
