Peach Pistachio Tart

Make the pastry: sift the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, and add the butter and vanilla bean paste. Beat with a paddle for 2–3 minutes until the mixture forms a smooth paste, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the egg yolks and beat for 30 seconds until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, and add flour and salt. Mix on low for 20–30 seconds until the mixture pulls together into a dough.

Gently work the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for around 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry: Remove the dough from the fridge — it should be cold but slightly pliable. If you refrigerated the dough for much longer than 30 minutes, it will need to sit at room temp for 10-20 minutes until it comes to a workable temperature.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 0.2 inches thick. If your kitchen is particularly warm, work quickly and transfer the dough back into the fridge as needed.

Roll the circle of dough onto your rolling pin, and then unroll over a 9-inch tart pan with a removable base. Gently press the dough into the edges of the pan, using excess pastry to patch any holes or thin areas. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to press away the excess dough. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, and preheat your oven to 350F.

Blind bake the pastry: Cut a large circle of parchment paper and scrunch it up so that it is more flexible. Remove the tart shell from the freezer, place on a sheet pan, and use a fork to poke a few holes across the bottom. Place the parchment paper on top of the pastry, and pour over pie weights — you can use dry beans, rice, ceramic pie beads, or plain granulated sugar. Make sure they fall evenly into the edges of the tart.

Place the pan in the center of your oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and very carefully lift out the parchment paper with the weights. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5–10 minutes, until the pastry is an even golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make the pistachio cream: combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with a paddle on medium speed for 2–3 minutes or until mixture is smooth and slightly lighter in consistency.

With the mixer running, slowly add the eggs. Once they are all added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for one minute more. It is ok if they don’t appear fully incorporated.

Add the cornstarch, ground almonds, and ground pistachios, and beat until everything is fully incorporated.

Assemble and bake the tart: pour the pistachio cream into the cooled tart shell, and use an offset spatula to spread evenly, making sure it reaches into the edges of the shell.

Thinly slice 1 of the peaches, and press slices into the top of the pistachio cream. Do not overlap, leave some space between each slice. You will not need the whole peach, so save the remainder for decorating.

Bake at 350F for 30–35 minutes until the pistachio cream has a light golden color. Set aside and allow to cool. 

Make the cherry whipped ricotta: in a food processor, combine the freeze-dried cherries, raspberries, and granulated sugar. Process for 1–2 minutes until powdery and fine. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the raspberry seeds (this is optional, but I prefer the smoother texture without seeds).

Add the ricotta and sugar mixture back into the food processor. Process for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth, light, and holds stiff peaks. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt, and pulse briefly to combine. 

Decorate and serve the tart: slice peaches about ¼ inch thick. Brush a thin layer of the melted, strained peach jam over the top of the tart. Arrange peach slices on top, fanning out slightly, and fill in the gaps with cherries. Lightly glaze fruit with more of the jam.

You can serve the tart now, but it is even better after sitting in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour — this allows the fruit to settle into the tart base, making everything a bit more cohesive. Serve each slice with a generous dollop of the cherry whipped ricotta, and enjoy!