Rustic Stone Fruit Tart (with mulled wine accents)

Peaches and plums are everywhere right now! Thankfully stone fruit recipes abound. This tart is a simple version of a pie, using a single pastry and folding the edges up over the filling. For a previous holiday I had made a similar tart using only peaches and no added spice. This version combined several stone fruits with red wine, brandy , nutmeg and cinnamon to accent the fruit flavors.

The recipe is my own

serve 4-6

The Ingredients:
3-4 medium stone fruits (peaches, plum, nectarines, apricots, etc)
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp cornflour
2 Tbsp dry red wine
1 Tbsp brandy
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 single-crust pie pastry
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp coarse sugar

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Halve the fruits, remove pits, and slice into even 1/4" slices. Place fruit in a large mixing bowl. Gently toss with sugar, cornflour, wine, brandy, spices and lemon zest. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

One a lightly floured surface roll out your favorite pastry recipe into a 12-15 inch round. Line a baking stone or baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully transfer the pastry. Arrange the fruit on the pastry in an overlapping spiral, alternating fruits. Leave a 2-3 inch border all the way around. Carefully fold the border over the edge of the fruit, making pleats where necessary. Pour any remaining juices from the fruit into the center of the tart. Brush pastry edges with egg and sprinkle with course sugar.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Serve warm with whipped cream, clotted cream or ice cream.

The Review:
My peaches were sub par at the time that I made this recipe. Their mealiness resulted in them crumbling apart when tossed with the sugar and mixed with the other fruit. The plums and necterines, however, held their own. While the peaches were unable to become part of the spiral of filling, their flavor was the strongest of the lot. The wine and brandy flavors were incredibly subdued...I almost wished for more, but was hesitant to add more liquid lest the filling become too runny. Perhaps the added step of a mulled wine reduction is necessary to drizzle over the filling if that flavor is highly desired. All in all it was an excellent way to showcase summer's finery. My only true complaint is that I really need to remember to add salt to my pastry in the future. The crust (a combination of shortening and butter) was one of the flakiest I've made to date, but sadly also one of the least flavorful.