At the I 🍆🍅🍑 California farmer’s market, I scored the most beautiful, huge, ripe juicy peaches. James would have been jealous of my giant peaches. I needed to find a way to highlight these beauties PRONTO! before they passed their prime.

1. Dish 1: I had some left over egg whites in the fridge, so I decided to make a fluffy oven pancake by whipping the egg whites, and adding pancake batter, then baking it off in the oven. Topped with fresh peaches, confectioners sugar, and maple syrup, it was a light and crispy dessert.
2. Dish 2: With a pile of fresh peaches on the counter, and some frozen puff pastry in the fridge, tarte tatin sounded like the best option. When Alex & I were in London, I picked up a little jar of Brandy Butter from Harrod’s. It’s basically a compound butter with sugar, salt and Courvoisier cognac. You could easily make it at home if there isn’t a Harrod’s near you 😉. It’s been sitting in my fridge for about a year now. The peaches presented the perfect opportunity to test it out. So, into my cast iron pans went the brandy butter, then the peaches, then the pastry. Twenty minutes later, a buttery flakey gooey mess of peaches was flipped onto my plate. Perfectly imperfect.

So which one should you make PRONTO!? The Tarte Tatin. Hands down. 🍑

Brandied Peach Tarte Tatin

• 2 Tbsp Brandy Butter (*)
• 1 giant peach, or two small peaches, sliced into ½ inch slices
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 package puff pastry

You will need an oven proof pan or skillet. I made this in two pieces for serving sized portions in two small cast iron pans, but an oven proof, non-stick, 12 inch frying pan will work. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In the oven proof pan, melt the brandy butter on the stove top. Add the sliced peaches and be sure they cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the salt over the peaches, then top with the puff pastry, tucking the corners into the pan and press down on the peaches. Brush with a little more butter.  Place the pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place a plate on top of the pan (like a lid). Using an oven mitt, place the mitted hand on the bottom of the pan and your other hand on the plate, and quickly flip over the pan so the plate is on top. You may need to shake it a bit to release the peaches. Use a spatula to release any stuck peaches. Ta-da! Dessert is served.

(*) To make Brandy Butter at home, combine 1 stick of room temperature butter with 3-4 Tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 2-3 Tbsp brandy/congnac/whiskey. Mix in a mini food processor, then put in a jar to chill in the fridge. These measurements are not meant to be precise. Add or subtract to your liking.

Peach Tart Tatin