At the Market | Peach Picking & Peach Tatin

The onset of August means one thing - peaches galore.  For the longest time I was under the impression that this juicy fruit only came from the South - you know the Mackinaw Peaches?  It wasn't until I became a farmers market devotee that I realized they can be grown in New Jersey and New York as well.  We set out to peach pick, a bit too early this year at Ochs Orchard in Warwick, New York, a delightful town not too far from Bear Mountain. The areas is dotted with undulating hills and many farms - just what the city dweller in me so desperately needed.  But alas, the fruit was hard as softballs, but they all had turned a rosy orange shade so I couldn't resist. I knew they would get ripe, eventually. Well, three weeks later they did and I made this delicious rendition on a Tart Tatin.  Super simple, but incredibly delicious - a bonus? You mix everything  in the pan so you don't have to spend extra time in a hot kitchen and you can savor the last bits of summer.  

At the Market Peaches & Peach Tatin

PEACH TARTIN

6 ripe peaches, cut in half, pits removed

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

7 ounces dethawed puff pastry, like DuFour (For tips on how to work with puff pastry click here)

1 egg, beaten

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a deep round cake pan or springform pan (we like this one), place sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in the bottom.  Using your hand, mix together and spread out evenly on the pan.   Place peaches either skin side down or flesh side up (I modeled this incorrectly after a Tart Tatin!).  Generously flour a working surface and roll out pastry into a rough circle.  Gently fold over peaches making sure to tuck in the edges to the pan.  Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.  Bake for 30 minutes or until peaches are completely soft.  Let cool before enjoying.

Photography by Alison