Peach Tartlets

Preheat the oven to 375F. Heat a skillet on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. While the skillet is heating, cut the peach or nectarine into 12 slices of equal size.

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. When the butter has just melted, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly in the skillet. Do not let the skillet get too hot. Add the peaches and lemon juice. Swirl the pan around to evenly coat the bottoms of the peaches and bring the brown sugar mixture to a light simmer. Once simmering, cook the peaches for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes longer. Do not allow the syrup to aggressively simmer when cooking or you will boil away too much of the liquid. Periodically swirl the pan to keep the mixture evenly heated. Pour the peaches and accumulated brown sugar syrup into a bowl and allow the fruit to cool slightly.

Unroll the pie dough and cut out three 5 1/4″ circles. I use the lid of a large container of oatmeal as a guide to cut out the circles. Remove the excess dough from around the cut circles and use it for another purpose. Fold over about 1/3″ of dough around each circle and flute the edges – making sure to build up the sides enough to keep the syrup from spilling over when baking. Add the tartlet shells to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Heat the peach preserves for just a few seconds in the microwave to make them easier to spread. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the warmed preserves on the bottom of each tartlet shell. Shingle 4 slices of peach in each tartlet. Pour a tiny amount of the brown sugar syrup in each tartlet, but not too much or it will spill over when baking. It’s okay if you have some of the syrup left because you may need some after the tartlets are baked.

Bake the tartlets for about 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the syrup is bubbly. If any of the peaches look a little dry, add a little of the brown sugar syrup you reserved earlier. After baking, top with some granola or granola cereal (if desired).

For an accompanying story about this recipe, check out my blog at http://cookingventures.blogspot.com