Nectarine Tart with Ginger Cookie Crust

  • Nectarine Tart with Ginger Cookie Crust

    With all of those nectarines going on, this dessert looks pretty darned healthy, doesn’t it?

    Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly guilt-free.  (If you want to pig out without the cloak of shame and guilt to weigh you down, try the Angel Food Cake, or the Guilt-Free Mandarin Orange Cake, or the Healthy Peanut Butter Balls.)  But this little fruit-filled ditty doesn’t come close to the guilt-laden Decadent Deep-Dish Pecan Pie, or the Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, or the Incredible Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Pie– all of which have a time and place to be inhaled.  (Some of us find more time and places to consume these guilty pleasures than others, with a bit of Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee to wash the guilt down.)

    Nope, this simple little tart features fresh nectarines nestled into a bed of peach jam over top a gingersnap cookie crust.  No one ever said a cookie crust was meant for dieters, but it’s all relative, right?  And it’s not like you have to serve the tart with Ben and Jerry’s excellent vanilla ice cream along with whipped cream spiked with a tablespoon of Grand Marnier or anything.  (Although now you have to choose one or two of those ideas, don’t you?)

    I made a few mini-tarts but the recipe below is for a large, normal tart.  Whether you make a big one or a few small ones, the point is that they are amazing and easy.  And not 100% bad for you.  Enjoy.

     

    GINGER COOKIE CRUST:

    5 tablespoons butter, melted

    1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookies (ideally from my Ginger Chewy Cookie recipe here, but not necessary)

    3 tablespoons sugar

    1 tablespoon dried, candied ginger (optional)

    TOPPING:

    3/4 cup peach preserves/jam

    5 nectarines, thinly sliced

    1 tablespoon butter, melted

    1. Preheat oven to 375° and lightly grease a 9″ tart pan with butter or non-stick spray.
    2. CRUST: in a large bowl, melt butter in microwave and stir in cookie crumbs, sugar, and candied ginger (if using).  (If using whole cookies instead of cookie crumbs, use a food processor to mulch about 30 small gingersnap cookies into fine crumbs.)  Press evenly into prepared tart pan and bake for 8 minutes to lightly toast.
    3. Spread peach preserves over base of crust, then arrange nectarine slices in a decorative pattern over top.  Brush melted butter over tops of nectarines and bake for 20 minutes, or until preserves are bubbly and nectarines look soft.  Allow to cool on a cooling rack, and serve slightly warm or cool.

    Tips:

    • Planning to bake your own cookies for the crust?  Yay!  What an extra miler.  Just bake them a little longer than recommended so they crisp up and mulch easier for you into bits after they have cooled.
    • Want to use less sugar?  No problem- you can omit the sugar in the crust recipe.
    • Your nectarines should be firm.  If they are really ripe, they might get soupy…
    • Feeling lazy?   I hear ya.  Use store-bought ginger crumbs, or even graham cracker crumbs mixed with a tablespoon of ground ginger instead.  Don’t worry about the decorative pattern with the nectarines- just scatter them unapologetically over the top of the jam.
    • You might want to put a baking sheet under your tart pan as it bakes.  I’m just saying- the preserves might bubble up waywardly and then burn onto the bottom of your oven.  Argh.
    • Want more ginger dessert ideas? Try the Pumpkin Pie with Ginger Crust, the Gingerbread Cake, or make the Classic Key Lime Pie with a ginger crust instead.  I’m hungry so typing this right now is killing me.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    September 11th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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