Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Peach Custard Tart with Lemon Thyme Syrup Glaze

Tarts, tarts, and more tarts! Don't you just love them? So, over the last weekend while laying awake in my bed, googling and tweeting asking for suggestions which didn't work anyways, I decided that I will be making a PEACH CUSTARD TART with LEMON THYME SYRUP GLAZE.

Light crunchy sweet pastry tart shells filled with creamy custard, then topped with fruits and glazed with flavoured syrup to give it sheen and a glossy finish. If that don't tantalize the eyes and make your mouth drool, can there be a better description? Sometimes words isn't everything. I mean, look at it? Those almost golden orbs shining; doesn't it make you want to take a knife, and slice into it?
Recently, I dreamt about tarts. Yeah, can you believe me? Not just any tarts, it had to be a tart with peaches. Looks like I have been walking, talking, and dreaming about desserts. The best part is I dreamt up the list of ingredients that I want to put into my tart. Something that I have not done before is to add a savoury herb to my dessert.
Funny thing, I dreamt that I used Lemon Thyme, and so happen I had some left over Lemon Thyme in the fridge. Is this déja vu? If you have not used a savoury herb in a dessert, it's time to challenge yourself to this. Believe me, it works and that is also because I went ahead and research a little more to understand herb pairing in desserts. For stonefruits, apparently thyme or rosemary works well with them together, if you're interested to know.
The tart has 3 key ingredients, that I worked with; lemon, lemon thyme and peaches. To work out  the custard flavour to pair with both the key ingredients, I decided to make Lemon Crème Légère, which is lemony, zing-y and zesty in flavour and slighty tart to balance off the sweetness from the peaches. Not to mention, the Lemon Crème Légère goes perfectly well complimenting the lemon thyme.

If you thought that it is one of those super sour treat, don't worry. I promise this tart will not make your face cringe. There is something extra in the Lemon Crème Légère too. Since lemon juice on its' own can be quite sour, I added sugar free apple juice and orange juice to the creamy custard filling. To finish off, I infused the sugar syrup with some fresh lemon thyme and glazed it all over my peaches. This adds a slight earthy note and aroma from the lemon thyme. Overall, I feel it's a great improvement from me, and I definitely am taking baby steps out of my comfort zone to further experiment with recipes.



Peach Custard Tart with Lemon Thyme Glaze
by Chic & Gorgeous Treats


*Makes a single 8 inches round tart.
*Makes 6 individual medium sized tarts.
*Non filled tart shell is best kept up to 2 days in an airtight container.
*Thaw 5-10 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS
Basic Sweet Tart Shell
125g unsalted cold butter, cubed
1 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups plus extra all purpose
flour, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ice cold water

Lemon Crème Légère
1 cup juice ( I used 1/2 lemon, 1 large
orange and 1/4 cup apple juice)
1 tablespoon corn flour
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped soft
peaks

To Garnish
1 can peach soaked in sugar syrup,
sliced
1 1/4 teaspoon lemon thyme
1/2 cup sugar syrup


          
DIRECTIONS
1. Using a food processor, blitz flour, powdered sugar and cold butter until it resembles fine
bread crumbs. Add the yolks one at a time mixing after each addition until well combined.
Then add the pure vanilla extract and ice cold water. Mix for another 1-2 minutes or until
the dough comes together nicely. Transfer sweet pastry dough onto a cling film wrap, shaping
into a disk and chill in the fridge for an hour.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Thaw dough for about 10-15 minutes at room temperature. On a dry
surface, sprinkle some flour on your work table, and on the rolling pin. Roll the sweet pastry
shell to about ¼ inch thick circle. Grease the tart pan with a little butter and sprinkle some flour.
Line the tart pan with the dough, repeating the same process, if making individual tarts. Then,
transfer the dough back to the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Remove tart shell from the fridge. Line it with parchment paper; fill pie shell with dried beans or
pie weights. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, then remove the beans and liners and transfer
back to the oven and bake for another 15 or until lightly golden brown in colour.

4. In a medium heatproof bowl, place egg yolk, sugar, plain flour and corn flour and whisk to
form a thick paste.  Add the fruit juices in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high
heat. While whisking egg and flour mixture pour the juice in a stream and continue to whisk to combine.
Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and place back over the heat and lightly whisk
constantly until the mixture comes to a boil then cook a further few minutes or coats the back of a
wooden spoon. This pastry cream should be very thick. Sift pastry cream through a strainer into
a bowl to remove any lumps. Press a piece of cling film onto the surface and refrigerate until cool.

5. To assemble, whip heavy cream until soft peaks and fold into Lemon pastry cream. If Lemon
pastry cream is slightly firm, whisk it lightly to help loosen the pastry cream. Fold in whipped cream.
Pipe or spoon pastry cream filling into tart shell.  Top with sliced peach. To make Lemon Thyme
glaze, take 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup from the can peach and toss in 1 1/4 teaspoon lemon thyme.
Simmer in a medium deep saucepan over medium heat for around 5-1o minutes. Set aside to cool,
and using a pastry brush, glaze slice peaches with the Lemon Thyme Syrup. Transfer Peach Tart
back to the fridge and chill for another 1 hour. Thaw 5-10 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

                                                            *basic sweet tart shell loosely adapted from Donna Hay




Do continue to stay tune, as I have been experimenting and working hard in my test kitchen to create some sophisticated looking treats. Another side of me that I like to share and show you. Whether a success or failure, you will just have to find out at a later date. Happy mid-week y'all!

xx


57 comments:

  1. haha your not the only one Joanna. I dreamt of tart as well, they were all over sized and I was eating my way through. =D One of the best dreams ever.

    Really, no words are needed here. Just look at it! amazing, delicious, breathtaking,...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL...thanks Helene! It's funny that both of us dreamt about tarts.. What are these tarts doing to us? =.=''

      Delete
  2. Jo, the can of peaches in the pantry is calling out to me sweet and ever so softly...bake me...bake me....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know I could just eat the whole can peach on its own. They are just delish, although I love the fresh ones too. Tough choice :P

      Delete
  3. You've just set the bar very high with this peach tart...absolutely stunning, Jo! I'd love a slice...and I'm afraid I'd have to go back for seconds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lizzy..didn't think of it at all, but I wouldn't mind setting the bar higher for me, so that I continue to strive to improve ;).

      Delete
  4. What a beautiful pictures. The lemon cream & peach sound fantastic together...thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hesti! Thanks for coming over, will be checking out your blog shortly. Cheers~

      Delete
  5. I seldom make tarts actually, but looking at your tart, i wish i can have a slice now, it look really really good! well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy making tarts and probably cause I was lazy to bake cakes. Lol.

      Delete
  6. Yum, this looks delicious! There is something about canned peaches that I find really comforting, I think they remind be of eating them when I was little! Will definitely be trying this out! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Louise! Yeah, I completely agree. I too feel the same about canned peaches. Really comforting and when I was a kid, I used to have them with a good scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Seriously delish! Thanks for coming over too, will be hopping over. Cheers~

      Delete
  7. Your peach tart looks gorgeous! Wish I could have a slice ... right now!
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks and have a great week ahead! I might make them again and try to improvise further. xoxo

      Delete
  8. Now that you mention it, I have had experience with savory herbs in desserts: I once ate a basil gelato at a sushi restaurant and a tarragon ice cream at a Michelin starred restaurant here in San Francisco.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow..the ice-cream sounds delish! Now you reminded me of an ice-cream I had at Tyler Florence's Mayfare Tavern. It was with cilantro or which herb was it? Hmmm.. Can't recall now on top of my head. Overall it was just really good.

      Delete
  9. You have inspired me to make this dish. THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I got to inspire you. Feel free to improv. Thanks for coming over!

      Delete
  10. What a gorgeous tart!
    You have such a beautiful site...I just came by from Lizzy! I am now following. I look forward to those sophisticated treats. Please do visit soon. Blessings, Catherine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine, thanks so much for coming over. I will be heading over to your blog too. Appreciate the support too. Looking forward to see waht you have been up to. Cheers, Jo

      Delete
  11. Me, Me, I love tarts! Especially when the crust is enhanced with lemon thyme. My daughter is on school break and I've been running like crazy, sorry I would have answered you if I saw your cry for tart assistance, lol. Love what you did with this tart, only wish I could have been there for a little taste testing. Hope you are having a great week my dear.
    -Gina-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww Gina! You're absolutely too kind. Don't worry, it was just some foolish twitting I did. Wanted to try pick most of the foodie brain, but ended up picking my own empty head. LOL... Have a great week ahead too and sending my love and regards to you and your family! Hugs, Jo

      Delete
  12. this is such a beautiful tart! looks so elegant, and that lemon thyme syrup sounds incredible! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jenn! Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Can't believe my Monday blues is kicking in right now :(

      Delete
  13. What a beautiful tart and it's made with one of my favorite fruits! The lemon thyme glaze is ingenious! I have lemon thyme growing in the garden. What a delicious treat!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the lemon thyme syrup glaze! I'm sure it paired perfectly with your gorgeous peach tart!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Baker Street. It was a risk I took and will continue to experiment with savoury herbs and dessert together. xoxo

      Delete
  15. So so pretty! I want one large wedge for my tea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lets trade Angie, I know it sounds silly, but I think you have way better baked or cooked food than me. Hehehe

      Delete
  16. Oh wow this is ine beautiful tart! Love the colors, and the flavors you played with!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Catalina for coming over. You have a pretty looking blog too. Happy Cooking and Baking! Stay in touch. Cheers, Jo

      Delete
  17. Replies
    1. Thanks Nic! I did try my hardest to arrange those sliced peaches. Boy, it was tough. Hehehe, I'm pretty inexperience when comes to plating anything in general.

      Delete
  18. Believe me I don't know why, but every time I look at your images the word party comes in my mind! There is something festive about the background, along with the plating. I love tarts too, savory or sweet, your tart is tempting and I hope to move my lazy self and bake some soon :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have just made my day. A huge SMILE is plastered all over my face right now. Festive and party.. is what I love most. Sharing good food with friends and family and just having a good time. Have a wonderful week ahead! xoxo

      Delete
  19. Oh this looks absolutely divine. I love the sound of the lemon thyme glaze. Can you cut me a piece please :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to share anything treats with you anytime Jen! Have a great week ahead. xoxo

      Delete
  20. I was just mesmerized by how beautifully the peaches are all lined up. You are so detailed oriented and the tart looks gorgeous, Joanna! Looks very elegant too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Nami! I am sure pumped up to continue to improve on what I love doing. Hugs

      Delete
  21. This is beautiful! I love the lemon thyme syrup. So creative and so tasty. Your photos make me drool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awe, thanks Dara! I am glad my photos are droolworthy. I really can't wait to create a style of my own. Still working on it.. hopefully will get there soon :D

      Delete
  22. Your pie looks so beautiful. An a lemon thyme glaze. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was certainly a gamble and risk I took as I don't know if anyone will be fond of me using savory herb inad a sweet treat. At the end, it pays off. Something different and bold, in my family home. Hehehe..

      Delete
  23. Once again, a delightful treat from you! I don't like pucker-sour stuff, too, but when lemons are done right, they are just gorgeous! Who doesn't like tarts? I know I do - either sweet or savoury!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's true too Jen, I know I LOVE tarts. It's like a must eat thing by me when I have craving for sweet treats ;) Thanks for the support!

      Delete
  24. Wow that tart is picture perfect, seriously drooly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gerry! Have a wonderful time in Foodbuzz this weekend. Btw, your Pumpkin Ice-Cream Filled Profiteroles is making me drool too. Looks like we are even ;).

      Delete
  25. I don't know how you can bear to eat your food. It looks too gorgeous to tuck into ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL..sometimes I wonder if I could re-create the same thing. You're too kind Shu Han and sure makes me happy to know another foody friend thinks my treat is gorgeous looking. I do feel a little the sad, but the taste is just too good to be missed! :P

      Delete
  26. Hi Jo, Is it foodbuzz weekend already? Wow, I can't believe a year has gone by already. So happy that we met there in person, and had so much fun together!

    I can't believe I didn't comment on your gorgeous peach tart. I don't recall ever seeing such perfect and beautiful slice canned peaches here, but maybe I haven't bought any in a while. I adore peaches of any kind especially in desserts; you did an amazing, and outstanding job on this tart...so meticulously lining up those pretty slices in such a decorative manner, that I would not have the patience for; your photos are superb, and I also am drooling to even just be able to get one bite! (can't promise I'd stop after one bite...LOL)
    Biggg hugggs, and kisse to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Eli, yup, I recall it is this weekend. Time sure flies. Can't believe it's almost a year ago I flew to SF. It was sure fun to meet you in person, and creating memories that I carry with me till this very day.

      Thanks so much for your sweet comment and I will continue to work hard to improve my baking skills. Stay in touch my friend! Hugs and muaks!

      Delete
  27. I love the combination of stone fruit with lemon thyme, they go so well together. Beautiful tart, perfectly arranged!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sylvie! I got the inspiration off your blog ;). Thanks for coming over. I will try to be bold and incorporate more savory herbs into my desserts. Time to play in the kitchen. Have a great week, Cheers~

      Delete
  28. It's so beautiful and tempting. Pictures are magical and delicious!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lola ;)! I will definitely continue to improve further.

      Delete
  29. Jo this is gorgeous. I love peaches so this is right up my alley. It's stunning.

    ReplyDelete

Hey foodies! THANK YOU for leaving me with sweet comments. I hope to inspire you like how you inspire me. Cheers~

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...