Nectarine Creme Fraiche Recipes

NECTARINE TART

Steps:

• Blend flour, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl or food processor. Dice 8 tablespoons of the butter. Use a pastry blender or two knives to blend flour mixture and butter, or pulse them together in a food processor to make a crumbly mixture. Beat the egg yolk with 3 tablespoons cold water. Dribble it over the flour mixture, then stir or pulse slowly until the mixture starts clumping together. A bit more water may be necessary. Gather dough in a loose ball and form into a disk on a lightly floured surface.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough and line a 10-inch loose-bottom tart pan. Line pastry with a sheet of foil and spread pastry weights or dry beans on top. Bake 12 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter, cooking it on low until it turns a light nut brown. Pit fruit (except figs) and cut in eighths or, if fruit is small, fourths. After 12 minutes, remove foil and weights from pastry. Return pastry to oven and continue baking until it is lightly browned, another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pastry from oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees.
• Brush pastry with preserves. Arrange fruit in tight concentric circles, starting by placing it around the perimeter, skin side down, against the vertical sides of the pastry and standing it up as much as possible. Brush with melted butter. Dust with remaining sugar. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes, until edges have browned but fruit has not collapsed. Cool before serving with crème fraîche.

NECTARINE-BLACKBERRY CRISP

Steps:

• For topping:
• Whisk flour, golden brown sugar, lemon peel, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and vanilla; stir until evenly moistened but crumbly. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• For filling:
• Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in crème fraîche and vanilla. Add 1 tablespoon flour; whisk to blend. do ahead Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Rewhisk before continuing.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 8x10- inch oval ceramic dish. Place berries and nectarines in large bowl. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup flour and sugar over; toss to coat. Transfer to prepared dish. Pour egg mixture evenly over fruit. Using fingers, crumble topping over fruit, distributing evenly.
• Bake crisp until custard is set and topping is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.
• Scoop crisp into bowls. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

GRILLED NECTARINES WITH HONEY-BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Whisk 1/2 cup honey, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk crème fraîche and remaining 2 tablespoons honey in medium bowl to blend. (Glaze and crème fraîche mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Refrigerate crème fraîche mixture. Rewhisk both before using.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush nectarines generously with half of glaze. Grill until heated through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Arrange 2 nectarine halves, cut side up, on each plate. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Spoon some crème fraîche mixture into center of each nectarine half and serve.

NECTARINE AND CRèME FRAîCHE PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with lots of pea-sized butter chunks. Stir together the buttermilk and ice water. Drizzle this mixture over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a rubber spatula, until the dough will hold together when you give it a squeeze, adding more ice water by the teaspoon directly to the dry bits as needed.
• Dump the dough out onto a counter, divide it roughly into 8 portions, and fraisage by dragging a portion of dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough (a metal bench scraper works well here), gently press it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Slip it into a plastic bag, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rough square that is about 1/4" thick. Fold it in thirds like you're folding a letter, then roll up from a skinny end into a loose spiral. Gently press to flatten it slightly, and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12" circle, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9" glass pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang under, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
• Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for at least 20 minutes, until solid.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º.
• Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper or foil, and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies, pressing the weights into the sides and corners of the crust.
• Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until the dough will hold its shape when you lift off the parchment, then remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is dry and lightly golden, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 375ºCool the crust slightly.
• In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and flour. Add the butter cubes, and work with your fingers or a pastry blender until it begins to clump together. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds, lemon zest and salt into the sugar until combined. Toss in the nectarines to coat, and let sit 10 minutes.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of thecrème fraîche in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel over thecrème fraîche. Arrange the quartered nectarines over the streusel, nestling them into a single layer, and top with any extra juices. Dot with the remainingcrème fraîche, then sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
• Criss-cross two long pieces of foil on a baking sheet, set the assembled pie in the middle, then fold the foil up and over the crust, scrunching as necessary so that the foil just covers the crust and leaves the filling exposed. Bake the pie until the fruit is bubbling, 50 minutes. Let cool to warm, then serve warm or at room temperature.
• The pie is best the day it has been baked, but will keep for a few days in the fridge. I like to re-warm slices in the oven or toaster oven before serving.

NECTARINE CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Blend nectarines, yogurt and almond extract until smooth.
• Add honey or sugar to taste.
• Dissolve gelatin in water over low heat.
• Add to blender and process 10 seconds.
• Chill until it begings to thicken.
• Spoon into wine glass and chill until set.
• Garnish with nectarine slices and mint sprigs.