What’s in my garden recipe: Late Summer Peach and Basil Tart

When we first moved into our house years ago, it was late October, and the yard was full of question marks. Most of the leaves had already fallen, and I didn’t know enough about the trees and plants of the far east bay to identify what we were working with. It wasn’t until the following spring that blossoms started to appear, and I waited impatiently to discover what each tree was. One of those trees burst into gorgeous pink blossoms, followed by long, maroon-colored leaves, and then produced literally thousands of little fuzzy gray fruits. Finally, later in the summer, the leaves turned from maroon to green, and I was able to determine that they were white peaches.

Every year, this tree is so covered with fruit that Dave and I spend hours thinning off baby peaches, in hopes of giving the remaining fruits a better chance to develop. If we don’t, all of the peaches stay small and green, as there are way too many for the tree to support. When we thin them, though, the fruits can get quite sweet, though they stay firm, unlike yellow peaches. They’re delicious in salads, we’ve made many jars of jam, and they’re great cut up on yoghurt in the morning.

This year, I decided to try them in a tart. When I was out picking the peaches, I noticed that the basil needed to be pinched back, and I ended up with a big colander of peaches and basil – the smell was the embodiment of late summer. It occurred to me that if they smell delicious together, they’d probably taste pretty good too, and a match was made. Introducing, the Late Summer Peach and Basil Tart!

To make the tart:

Begin by buttering a square 9×9″ baking pan. If you don’t have a square pan, a 9″ round pan should work as well.

Peel and cut the peaches into 1/4 – 1/8 inch slices. Sliver basil into ribbons. Place the sliced peaches in a saucepan and add sugar, basil, butter, flour and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350º.

While the peaches are cooking, make the crust. Mix the flour and powdered sugar (and salt, if you are using unsalted butter) in a medium to large bowl. Add the butter and mix with a hand mixer or by hand until the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like course cornmeal. When you press the dough, it should just hold together. Spread the mixture in the bottom of a buttered 9×9″ baking pan and press to form the crust. Bake crust at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Once the crust has cooled, use an off-set spatula or similar to spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust.

Pour the peach mixture over the cream cheese-topped crust, and place in the oven. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes, or until peaches are bubbling and glossy. Cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy!