Name: Dietmar Sawyere’s nectarine and frangipane tart
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 300 min
Total time: 390 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 8 ripe but firm yellow nectarines; 50 gm pure icing sugar, plus extra sieved for dusting (1/3 cup); 100 gm softened unsalted butter; 150 gm caster sugar (2/3 cup); Scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans; 2 eggs; 50 gm plain flour, sieved (1/3 cup); 80 ml amaretto; 135 gm (1½ cups almond meal (135 gm (); 2 tbsp peach or nectarine jam; Mascarpone sorbet; 450 gm mascarpone; 550 ml sugar syrup (see note); 75 ml lemon juice; Sweet pastry; 300 gm plain flour; 200 gm softened diced butter; 100 gm pure icing sugar; 2 egg yolks; Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

Dietmar Sawyere’s nectarine and frangipane tart

The secret? Slow-baked nectarines to intensify the fruit's sweetness.

Serves 8

Prep

1H 30M

Cook

Total

6H 30M

“In Australia, nectarines can often be underripe, so we slow-bake them with sugar to intensify the sweetness. If you find perfectly tree-ripened fruit, you can skip this step. Make sure the frangipane is chilled before adding it to the pastry case.” – Dietmar Sawyere

Ingredients

8 ripe but firm yellow nectarines

50 gm pure icing sugar, plus extra sieved for dusting (1/3 cup)

100 gm softened unsalted butter

150 gm caster sugar (2/3 cup)

Scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans

2 eggs

50 gm plain flour, sieved (1/3 cup)

80 ml amaretto

135 gm (1½ cups almond meal (135 gm ()

2 tbsp peach or nectarine jam

Mascarpone sorbet

450 gm mascarpone

550 ml sugar syrup (see note)

75 ml lemon juice

Sweet pastry

300 gm plain flour

200 gm softened diced butter

100 gm pure icing sugar

2 egg yolks

Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean

Method

Main

1.For mascarpone sorbet, blend mascarpone with sugar syrup in a blender until smooth, add lemon juice and blend to combine. Freeze in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until firm (3 hours). Makes 1 litre.

2.Preheat oven to 80C. Slice nectarines into cheeks or, if ripe enough, halve and remove stones. Scatter icing sugar over an oven tray lined with baking paper and place nectarines cut-side down onto icing sugar. Bake until soft and a little dried (3-4 hours). Set aside to cool.

3.Meanwhile, for sweet pastry, sieve flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add butter. Sieve icing sugar over butter, add egg yolks and vanilla seeds and mix with your fingertips to form a smooth paste. Gradually draw in flour from sides of well until a smooth dough forms. Do not overwork. Roll pastry between two pieces of baking paper to a 3mm-thick round and refrigerate to rest (1 hour). Bring to room temperature so pastry is just flexible enough to line a lightly greased 23cm-diameter, 4cm-high ring mould placed on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Trim excess pastry and refrigerate to rest (20-30 minutes).

4.Meanwhile, beat butter and caster sugar with vanilla seeds in an electric mixer until pale. Add eggs, flour and amaretto, beat to combine. Stir through almond meal, then refrigerate until chilled (1-2 hours).

5.Increase oven to 180C. Spread jam over pastry base, then spread frangipane on top. Arrange nectarine cheeks on top and bake until tart is set and golden and springy to touch (50 minutes-1 hour). Cool in ring mould on tray on a wire rack (1 hour), then remove from mould, dust edges with icing sugar and serve with mascarpone sorbet.

To make sugar syrup, bring equal quantities of caster sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan, set aside to cool.

Drink suggestion by Dietmar Sawyere: Moscato d’Asti
Notes