Peach Puff Pastry Tarts

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Have a large, rimmed baking sheet ready.

Remove puff pastry sheet from box and let sit at room temperature to thaw, about 25–30 minutes.

While pastry is thawing, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Slice peaches. If they are extremely juicy, put them on several paper towels to blot some of the juice. Return to the measuring cup and squeeze a little lemon juice on them.

On a large cutting board or your countertop, lay out some parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place thawed puff pastry on the parchment and unfold it. With a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry at each fold so you have 3 long pieces.

With a floured rolling pin, roll each piece so the short side is about 1 inch longer. (It was about 3 inches long, now it will be about 4 inches long.) With a sharp knife, score (do not cut entirely through the pastry) a line all the way around each pastry, about 1 inch in from the edge. Use a fork to lightly prick (don’t poke deep holes) inside the score lines. Transfer the pastries on the parchment or silicone mat to the baking sheet.

Spread 1 ounce of cream cheese inside the score lines of each pastry. It doesn’t have to be exact, just try to get most of the inside of the scored area covered. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the cream cheese on each pastry, a little over 2 teaspoons per pastry. Spread the peaches over the sugar and cream cheese (inside the scored area) on each pastry. Just eyeball it—I didn’t measure out the peaches exactly.

Use a pastry brush to paint egg wash around the edges of each pastry, outside the score lines. Sprinkle some sugar over the edges.

Bake for 15–18 minutes. Edges should puff up and pastry will be golden brown. Resist the urge to open the oven during baking if you want your pastry to puff as much as possible. Cool on a wire rack 20–25 minutes.

Make the icing by whisking the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract in a small bowl. Drizzle a small amount over each tart and sprinkle with a few sliced almonds.

Cut and serve warm or at room temperature. Tarts taste best the day they are made, but may be refrigerated for the next day. Gently reheat in microwave (they won’t be crisp) or a toaster oven.