Nectarine-Lime Curd Tart with a Brown Sugar Crust

The Altitude Adjustment Section
I love nectarines and they have been pretty good this year. So I was very intrigued when I found this recipe where the nectarine was pureed and added to the curd filling — what a great idea! And you can make all the parts ahead of time, which is a plus. This recipe is from the dear, departed Gourmet magazine, June 1998 issue. For this recipe they called for a 13 1/2 x 4 x 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim; you could also use an 8 1/2 x 1-inch round.

Ingredients for curd
1 firm-ripe medium nectarine
5 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime
2 tablespoons unsalted
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for crust
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for glaze
4 firm-ripe medium nectarines
1/3 cup peach or ginger jam

Procedure
To make the curd, halve and pit a nectarine. Cut halves into pieces and in a blender purée until smooth. In a heavy saucepan whisk together purée, yolks, granulated sugar, lime juice, butter, and vanilla. Cook mixture over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until it just reaches a boil, about 7 minutes, and immediately remove pan from heat. Strain curd through a sieve into a bowl and cool, its surface covered with a buttered round of wax paper. Chill curd at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To make the crust, cut butter into pieces. In a food processor pulse flour, brown sugar, and salt until combined well. Add butter and blend until dough begins to form (mixture should hold together when squeezed between fingers). Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 13 1/2 x 4 x 1-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Bake crust in middle of a 375 oven 20 minutes and cool in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 2 days ahead and kept in pan, covered, at room temperature. Halve and pit nectarines. Cut halves into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Spoon curd into shell, smoothing top, and arrange nectarine slices decoratively on top.

In a small saucepan heat jam over low heat until hot. Pour jam through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Lightly brush fruit with glaze. Chill tart, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Tart may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Summer Fruit Cobbler

The Altitude Adjustment Section
This time of year, with all the lovely summer fruit falling off the trees and practically hitting you on the head, perhaps it's time to talk about cobblers. And who better to go to than Susan Purdy, the queen of high altitude baking? This recipe was influenced by a cobbler she had made by Peyton at Harry’s Roadhouse, right here in Santa Fe. Once you get the basic technique down, you can use a variety of fruit fillings. So this is how you do it:

Ingredients for dough
1 1/2 cups A.P. flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons gran. sugar
pinch nutmeg
4 tablespoons=1/2 stick butter room temp
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 room temp egg

Ingredients for fruit filling
apple juice or orange juice 3/4 cup to 1 1/3 cup, depending on juiciness of fruit
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 to 3/4 cup light brown sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups sliced ripe fruit plums, peaches, nectarines or berries pitted and thickly sliced

Procedure
Preheat oven to 425. Find a 10-12 inch deep baking pan or use a 2-4 quart dutch oven or an old cast iron skillet.
Prepare the dough in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse together the flour, powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg. Add the butter and pulse till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and egg, pulse just till mixture comes together — don’t over mix. Set aside.

Now prepare the fruit filling: In a thick-bottomed skillet, whisk together the apple or orange juice and the cornstarch, then stir in the sugar, lemon, orange zest and cinnamon. Add the cut-up fruit and set over medium heat. Bring to the boil and then cover the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the fruit is tender and easily pierces with a knife. Now transfer fruit to baking dish, if using, while still hot (very important). Take tablespoons of the prepared dough and spoon on top of the fruit. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and set it on a sheet pan lined with tin foil (to help with sticky clean up) in your very hot oven to bake for 25-35 minutes, or until dough is puffed up and golden brown.