COOKING: Free-Form Nectarine and Macadamia Tart

I have always wanted to try to make a "free-form" type of pastry for a pie or tart. I don't really enjoy the faffing about that most pastry requires to get it into pretty pans and tart shells. This recipe caught my eye, and, on reading it - it seemed really easy! This is "food-processor" recipe, where first you blitz the pastry together, scoop it out, then without even washing the bowl, blitz the nutty ingredients for the tart! What bliss!

This tart can be made with any kind of stone fruit you have in season, plums, peaches, apricots etc. Figs would be great as well. You can serve it cold or warm, we had it warm with thick cream on the side - as you do, Here it is:

Worked perfectly. It may look a little too "brown" in places - but it was perfect in real life. (even if I do say so myself)

Aprons on:

Pastry: 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1/3 cup caster sugar, 100g chilled butter cubed.

Tart Mix: 1/4 cup castor sugar, 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts, 30g butter, softened, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspn vanilla extract, 2-3 fresh nectarines, 1 Tbspn white sugar.

1. For the pastry - place the four, caster sugar and butter in the food processor. Process until mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 1/4 cup of chilled water and process until mixture comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until smooth. Shape into a rectangle. If it's a warm day, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or until firm enough to roll out.

2. Pre heat the oven and a large flat baking tray to 200 degrees c. Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to form a 20cm x 30cm rectangle. Remove the top baking paper.

3. In the same food processor bowl process the sugar and macadamia nuts until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the butter, egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until the mix comes together. Carefully spread the macadamia mixture over the pastry, leaving a 3 cm border around the edges.

4. Arrange the sliced nectarines over the macadamia mixture. Fold the pastry over, leaving half the fruit exposed. Brush the top of the pastry with water and sprinkle with white sugar.

5. Slide the tart, still on the baking paper, onto the hot tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or unitl the pastry is golden and crisp. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with thick cream, ice-cream or yoghurt.

I gave this tart an appreciative 9 / 10.

Hope you get to try it. 

For those of you who asked......yes - you can call me Poots!!