As our seasons here in Sydney are not absolutely defined, we segue from cool to warm to hot and back again before a new season is in full swing. To be able to declare the change we take our cue from the appearance of new season’s fruit and vegetables in the market.
We now know that spring has sprung and summer’s nearly here because our markets and shops are filling up with delicious stone and berry fruits. Tomatoes are rich red and tasty. Mangoes abound as do mosquitoes. Our gardens are full of gardenias, the smell of Sydney with Christmas on the way.
New season’s nectarines caught my eye this week and, along with some blueberries, made a beautifully juicy, fruity tart for dessert.
The g-f hazelnut pastry, new to our repertoire, has a slightly shortcake like texture and rolling it very thinly for the top has allowed it to ‘melt’ over the fruit, revealing our spring bounty in silhouette. Serve with lashings of cream, sitting outside on a milky warm evening, swatting mosquitoes. Bliss.
Rosie
NECTARINE AND BLUEBERRY HAZELNUT SHORTCAKE
Serves 6-8
Pastry
155 gm fine white rice flour
90 gm hazelnut meal
75 gm cornflour
2 teaspoons g-f baking powder
105 gm caster sugar
1 pinch salt
80 gm unsalted butter
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon iced water (as needed)
1 tablespoon extra caster sugar for sprinkling
Filling
100 gm unblanched almonds, roasted and ground
50 gm brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
600 gm nectarines (around 6 smallish)
125 gm blueberries
Place pastry dry ingredients into a food processor and process for a couple of seconds to combine. Add cold butter cubes and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add one egg (reserve the other egg for glazing) and process. If the pastry is dry, add the iced water in increments as you may not need the full tablespoon.
Place the pastry onto plastic wrap and pat into a disc about 1cm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Lightly grease a 26cm pie dish. Place in the oven a baking tray large enough to accommodate your pie dish.
Remove pastry from fridge, reserve and refrigerate ¼ of the pastry for the top. Roll the remaining pastry out in between two pieces of baking paper and line pie dish with pastry. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling
Combine the ground almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the nectarines in half and remove the stones. Slice each half into 8.
Sprinkle the almond mix over the base of the pastry and top with the nectarine slices then blueberries.
Beat the remaining egg and brush the edges of the pastry.
Roll out the remaining pastry. It will be thin as the idea is for it to ‘melt’ over the fruit. Place on top of the pie pressing down the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the extra caster sugar.
Bake 35 -40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
TIP:
Other fruits in season will work equally well.
If you prefer a thicker more cakey top on your shortcake, increase the ingredients for the pastry by a third and roll more thickly. (You won’t need more egg but may need to moisten with water).