Some desserts have tastes so strong they seem to shout at you; others get your attention with a whisper. This peach brown butter custard tart falls in the latter category. It’s understated and refined but still gets noticed. Its appeal comes from the pairing of sweet, rum-flavored peaches with a smooth, brown-butter egg custard. It’s subtle but very pleasing, winning you over quietly, one nibble at a time.
If you find peaches that are perfectly ripe and flavorful, you could omit the 30- to 40-minute maceration of the peaches in the first step in the recipe, which softens and sweetens them.
The tart is best the day it’s made but is still good a day later.
If you don’t have a favorite tart shell recipe, email me and I will send you mine.
Peach brown butter custard tart
Total time: 2 hours
Make in a 9½-inch tart pan with 1-inch sides.
Works at all altitudes.
Your favorite tart shell recipe, partially baked and cooled
2-3 (two to three) tablespoons graham cracker crumbs. (Optional)
For the filling:
2 tablespoons dark rum, divided
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3-4 medium peaches, (one pound) peeled and pitted
½ cup superfine granulated sugar, preferably Baker’s
2 large eggs
Pinch of nutmeg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
Sweetened whipped cream, optional
Prepare the peaches: Place 1 tablespoon of the dark rum and the brown sugar in a large bowl and whisk until they are well combined and the sugar has dissolved. Cut the peaches into quarter-inch slices, place them in the bowl, and gently toss them until all the slices are coated with the rum-brown sugar mixture. Set this aside for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, with a rack in the center position.
Make the custard: Do this while the peaches macerate. Put the granulated sugar, eggs, the remaining 1 tablespoon of dark rum and the nutmeg in a bowl, and whisk until mixed. Add the flour and whisk until combined. Set this aside. Place the pieces of butter in a one-quart saucepan, and melt them over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter comes to a low boil. Continue to stir for about 4-5 minutes; the melted butter will start to sputter and foam, then the foam will subside, and finally it will turn golden brown. Quickly remove it from the heat. Watch carefully throughout this process; if the melted butter gets dark brown, it becomes bitter and unusable. Pour the browned butter in a steady stream into the sugar-egg-flour mixture, whisking constantly until fully blended. Set the custard aside.
Prevent soggy crust, optional: To prevent the crust from getting soggy after the tart is baked, sprinkle a thin layer of graham cracker crumbs all over the bottom of the baked crust before adding the filling.
Add filling to crust: Arrange the sliced peaches decoratively in the prebaked tart shell (you may not use them all). Gently pour the custard over them, filling the shell to about ¼-inch from its top. Some custard may be left over.
Bake: Place the pan on a cookie sheet to catch drips and bake until the custard puffs, is set but still jiggles slightly in the middle, and colors lightly, 35-45 minutes. The time it takes to bake will depend on the amount and temperature of the custard when it’s put in the oven, so start checking earlier and rely on how the tart looks rather than the time to decide when it’s done. Cover the crust with strips of foil if it browns before the filling is fully baked.
Cool, serve and store: Remove the pan to a rack and cool completely. If you’re not serving the tart right away, store it, lightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a day. When you’re ready to serve it, remove the sides of the pan. The tart cuts most easily when it’s cool, but is at its best when served slightly warm, so cut it while it’s cool, and then heat the pieces in a microwave at low temperature until warm to the touch. Serve the tart unaccompanied or with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Vera Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks (available at Garcia Street Books in Santa Fe). Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
