(Grain-free!) Peach, Pecan & Mascarpone Tart
We had a few visitors last week, out in Tofino. Our friends Shauna, Danny and Lucy came to stay with us for a few days, arriving the day after W’s birthday and the day before Shauna’s. (And a week or so after Lucy’s, and another week or so before Danny’s.) So you can see why a cake or two was in order.
It was three days of celebrating, birthdays or not. We ate well, and often – steamed Dungeness crab straight from the ocean, shrubs made with white peach drinking vinegar, lavender-honey gelato from Chocolate Tofino, seafood chowder, ceviche and gluten-free Key lime tarts at SoBo, Salt Spring Island goat cheese, peppery radishes dragged through good butter and sprinkled with Maldon salt.
And of course one of the first orders of business – fish tacos from Tacofino.
And after picking up local veggies from the TUCG, there were plenty of blueberries, fresh basil for pesto, kale shredded into salads and cooked down with garlic and olive oil, sweet cherry tomatoes by the bowlful, and new potatoes roasted until golden, then doused with aged white cheddar before going back into the oven to crisp up further. (We dubbed these Tofino poutine. So addictive.)
Every morning we ate fried eggs from Nanoose Bay, cooked with olive oil and butter for a crispy/frilly edge – once over sweet potato hash, once with garlicky kale. Of course writing about what we ate makes it sound so much more, but really it was just good ingredients, simply prepared – and if you can swing it, having friends around, sand in your shoes and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, it just makes everything taste better.
But the birthday cake! It was actually a tart, and a day late. (I made two, actually – the first a lemon-blackberry cake made with mashed potatoes and ground almonds that -despite the sound of a sweet almond-potato cake, tasted divine.) The summer peach tart was one I came across on Sprouted Kitchen (whose new cookbook I came across in the tiny Tofino bookstore), and demanded to be made not only because it looked delicious, but because it was gluten-free (grain-free, even) and made with a simple base of soft, chewy dates, ground almonds and toasted pecans. Unbaked.
You blitz these with a pinch of cinnamon in the food processor – or if you’re away from home and in a sparser kitchen, stand at the counter and chop them by hand, working the mixture with a knife and your fingers as you chat until it has a consistency that can be pressed into the bottom of a cake pan. The original had a filling of crème fraîche or whipped coconut cream, but I beat some mascarpone with the merest dribble of honey and cream enough to make it spreadable, and it held up very well between the nutty base and sliced peaches, making it almost like an elegant, not-too-sweet cheesecake. BC peaches are finally here, but you could top it with whatever is in season.
I was saying to Shauna that this shouldn’t even be labelled “gluten-free” or “grain-free” – it has its own legs to stand on, and I don’t want to present it as a healthier substitute for a regular tart, or somehow less than, or delicious for being gluten-free. It’s just delicious, period, but I did want readers to take note that this is no ordinary butter-sugar-flour tart.
Everyone loved this – and the small sliver of leftovers kept well in the fridge overnight. It’s a keeper. And so perfect for summer, when you don’t really want to turn on the oven if you don’t have to.
Happy 47, Shauna.
Peach, Pecan & Mascarpone Tart
AuthorJulieIn the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dates, pecans, almonds, butter, cinnamon and salt until well blended and sticky; alternatively, chop the dates and pecans finely, then mix with the ground almonds, butter, cinnamon and salt until you have a mixture that will hold together when squeezed in your fingers. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch pan.
In a medium bowl, beat the Mascarpone, cream, honey and vanilla until creamy and smooth; spread over the base. Top with sliced peaches and a handful of berries, and chill for half an hour or so if you have time - otherwise it can be served immediately.
Ingredients
this is the food blogger equivalent of George and Brad at Lake Como
Clea, you made me laugh out loud – you are hilarious.
First, that photo of the dinner table is amazing! Great shot! Second, this tart oh so yummy. Third, I was the sketchy woman laughing by herself in her office while I read this.
Fantastic! This looks super delicious – gorgeous fruit!
OH YEAH I am so going to make this one. Mascarpone always will remind me of the time my husband bought it for me, so proud as he said-look honey, I know how much you love marzipan so I got you some marzipan cheese.
Marzipan cheese! that is what I call it now of course
Oh, how wonderful! A real tart without any flour! Just what I like. Thank you so much, I’ll make it.
I never make sweet things, since both Dave and I don’t have a sweet tooth, but this one I will, because it looks so luscious, and sounds fantastic.
Thank you, Julie 😀
Oh, you’re so lucky! I’m always talking about Gluten-free-girl-and-the-chef as if it were one person!
“Saw” you in Ladies Home Journal and found out you had pie without me 😉 I’ll forgive you…keep sharing!
I want all of that food in my belly!!! Thanks for sharing! I was drooling! Fresh dungeness crab…mmmmm!
I just made the date nut balls that this recipe inspired “gluten free girl” to make. they are outrageous. I can’t wait to try this tart next!
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What a stunning tart — and what a beautiful gathering of friends and ocean views to go with it! Thank you for sharing this gem. The fact that it’s grain-free almost feels like a secret bonus, because the real story here is that nutty date-pecan crust + creamy mascarpone + juicy summer peaches. Made it for a small birthday dinner and nobody missed the flour or sugar — just happy, clean plates all around. Definitely a keeper. ?