Peach Crème Fraiche Streusel Tart
Peach season is in full swing, and this Peach Crème Fraiche Streusel Tart is the perfect way to celebrate! This rustic dessert combines a classic French shortcrust (Pâte Sablée) with ripe peaches dotted with crème fraiche and then topped with a crumbly streusel. It is the perfect combination of sweet juicy flavors from…
- For the Pâte Sablée:1 ¼ cup (155g) all-purpose flour½ tsp salt¼ cup (50g) sugar½ cup (1 stick/125g) unsalted butter, cold and cut in small cubes.2 egg yolks
- For the Streusel: ¼ cup (50g) sugar2 tbsp (11.5g) quick rolled oats¼ tsp salt6 tbsp (47g) all-purpose flour¼ cup cold (1/2 stick/ 62.5g) unsalted butter, cold and cut in small cubes
- For the filling:1 1/2 pounds ripe (5 medium) peaches, pitted and cut in 82 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar2 tbsp (11.5g) quick rolled oats¼ cup (about 70g) of crème fraiche
- Step 1 – Prepare the Pâte sablée. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt and sugar. Add the cubed butter and mix the ingredients together using your hands (rub between your palms) until you get a crumbly, sandy texture and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg yolks and combine until the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in plastic film and chill for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F(205°C) with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform tart pan.
- Step 2 - Take the Pâte sablée out of the fridge. Place it between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to a 5mm (0.2inch) thickness. Line the tart pan bottom and sides with crust – don’t worry if the crust tears, you can easily patch it together and press to seal. Trim the edges all around and poke the bottom evenly with a fork.
- Step 3 – Par-bake the crust. Place one of the sheet of parchment paper on top of the tart shell and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven, set aside on a cooling rack and remove the pie weights. Let cool. Turn the oven temperature down to 375°F (190°C).
- Step 4 – Make the Streusel. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, quick rolled oats, salt and all-purpose flour. Add the cold, cubed butter and mix into the dry ingredients, using your fingertips (or a pastry blender) to crumble the butter pieces, until you get a coarse crumbly texture.
- Step 5 – Assemble the tart. In a large bowl, toss the peach wedges with 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of rolled oats all over the bottom of the par-baked crust. Add about 2 tablespoons of crème fraiche on top, in small dots evenly placed all over the bottom crust. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the streusel mixture.
- Place the peach wedges in the crust, in a circular pattern, with cut-sides facing the bottom. Make sure the wedges are nice and tight, and if needed, cut some wedges in half to fill any holes. The whole crust should be covered with peaches, but it doesn’t need to look perfect.
- Dot the peaches with the rest of the crème fraiche and sprinkle with the rest of the streusel.
- Bake the tart for 50 minutes. The crust and streusel should be golden brown, and the crème fraiche should be bubbling when you take the tart out of the oven. Transfer onto a cooling rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy warm or cooled.
I love how this tart doesn’t need to look perfect, yet makes for an elegant seasonal dessert to wrap up a Summer meal. I originally spotted this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website, before seeing an adaptation of it on Smitten Kitchen – a great cooking blog that I have been following a while.
Made with peaches (one of my favorite Summer fruits) and crème fraiche (one of my favorite ingredients) I knew I had to try this recipe – and it did not disappoint. After working my way a few times around the recipe, I instinctively adapted it to better suit my taste.
I chose to switch the crust for my go-to Pâte Sablée recipe: a crisp and buttery French short crust that is the perfect vessel for fruits. I added some quick rolled oats in the streusel mix for extra crunch and also sprinkled some on the bottom of the crust to prevent it from becoming soggy during baking.
If you are familiar with this blog, you likely already tried my Pâte Sablée recipe used in my Apricot Frangipane Tart and in my Classic French Strawberry Tart.
More cooking tips:
- Making your own Pâte Sablée (“sandy” shortcrust pastry) will make a big difference. Don’t skip the chilling time in the fridge and remember to work quickly – avoid the crust from getting too warm or it will become sticky.
- This recipe will give you enough for a 9-inch (22.9cm) tart pan. I recommend you use a tart pan with a removable bottom, which will support the crust when lifting your tart.
- Use fresh seasonal peaches (canned peaches are almost always too sweet, unless they are homemade). Choose ripe, tender peaches – ideally yellow, instead of white – as yellow peaches have a better acidity which contrasts nicely against the tang of the crème fraiche. The peaches shouldn’t be too firm to the touch, although not mushy nor blemished. When slicing them in half, the stones should remove easily. If they are difficult to remove – the peaches aren’t ripe enough.
- Although it wasn’t easy to find up until a few years ago, Crème fraiche has now become common in grocery stores in Canada and the US. You can usually find it next to sour creams. Two of my favorite brands I recommend are Liberte and Maison Riviera.
- Like most fruit tarts, this Peach Crème Fraiche Streusel Tart is best enjoyed the day of, or the day after being made, but no later.
I hope you’ll love this Peach Crème Fraiche Streusel Tart as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment.