By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches


It's September and the start of fall but I'm in denial. Luckily, the weather in Vancouver is also keeping a blind eye towards the coming of autumn. It's hot outside and I'm full of summer lovin' for as long as it lasts.

When I think of summer fruit, peaches come to mind. Juicy, face-drippingly sweet and so cute they're fuzzy. So when I had some peaches that I needed to use up quickly, I figured I'd make a tart. Think of it as a summer extender.


If this looks intimidating, don't sweat it. A tart is a cinch to make. There's no fussing with rolling out dough, chilling out dough or fretting if your dough is going to shrink or be leaden. None of that here! Just press the dough into the pan. That's it. Really.


In keeping with the no-fuss elegance of this tart, there's no need to peel your peaches! Let that peach fuzz flag fly! However, if getting fussy is your thing, maybe you'll want to lay out your peach slices in perfect concentric circles. Or not. Either way, however you lay 'em, they'll taste wonderful.


If you want to make this tart vegan, just make sure to use vegan sugar and a vegan margarine like Earth Balance. Or if you don't have peaches, give this a try with plums, nectarines or any other stone fruit. Enjoy this taste of summer for a bit longer.

Simple Peach Tart
(recipe adapted from Amanda Hesser)

Dough
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Topping
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

4-5 ripe peaches, pitted & thickly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. In another small bowl, whisk together the oils, milk and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently with a fork, being careful not to over mix. Transfer the dough into an 11-inch tart pan and pat out the dough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Push it up the sides carefully so that it reaches the top of the pan. Pat everything down so it's nice and even.

2. Combine the sugar, flour and salt into a large bowl and use your fingers to work in the cold butter. You're making a kind of crumble here, so get everything worked in until nice and crumbly.

3. Starting on the outside of the tart, line up your peaches in a concentric circle over the pastry. If you care about it looking perfect, get fastidious. Me, I'm not that concerned and fill in the skimpy parts with more peaches, wrecking the pretty pattern. Whatever. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over top (it will be a lot, go with it). Bake for 35-45 minutes until shiny and bubbly and the crust is slightly brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream (if that's your fancy).