Summer Delights

There are too many reasons to list why I love summer, so I will only highlight some of the top hitters:

-Outdoor seating at local bars/cafes
-Enjoying dinner on our deck
-Gardening
-Cute clothes and flip-flops
-HEAT
-and lastly, culinary inspiration from wonderful produce

This weekend I had a great time planning our week's menu and pulling recipes out of all my summer-ish cook books. One recipe I was truly thrilled with were my nectarine tarts (recipe courtesy of the Bride & Groom Cook Book.) It was really easy to make and not only delicious but pretty, which, to me, is a very important element in good cooking.

Presenting the Bride & Groom Cook Book's Nectarine Tarts!


Recipe:

1 sheet of puff pastry (thawed)
1 nectarine per tart (sliced thinly into 10 pieces)
2 tbsp Apricot Jam (no chunks) per tart
1 tsp of granulated sugar per tart
A dash of cinnamon per tart
A dot of unsalted butter per tart
One egg
2 tbsp Ginger Snap cookies (crushed) per tart
A sprinkling of powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. After puff pastry has thawed, cut into two equal rectangles. Pinch edges of pastry up to create a well for filling. Brush edges of pastry with egg wash. Fill centers of pastry with crumbled ginger cookies then layer nectarines over top of cookies. Melt apricot jam in microwave for about 20 seconds until syrup-y and pour over each tart. Sprinkle each tart with sugar and cinnamon and then dot with unsalted butter. Place into oven for 25-35 minutes until edges of pastry are golden brown. Let rest for 15 minutes and then enjoy. (Optional: serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.) For extra prettiness, sprinkle powdered sugar over top of each pastry.



Enjoy!