Minimum effort, maximum results.
This might be the easiest yet most impressive-looking dessert I’ve ever made. I used store-bought puff pastry and all I did was cook the custard (which only took less than 15 minutes) and assembled the rest of the ingredients. That’s it!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking/Baking Time: 40 minutes
Serves 5 to 6
INGREDIENTS
2 Puff pastry sheets
1 egg white
1/2 tsp sugar
2-3 Peaches, peeled and quartered
Honey
Mint leaves
For the Custard:
3 egg yolks
3 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract/paste
Pinch of salt
PROCEDURE
Thaw the frozen sheets until it’s a a little pliable, about 20 minutes. While the puff pastry is thawing, make the vanilla custard.
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar until it’s slightly dissolved. Add the flour, salt, and milk and mix thoroughly until the flour is fully incorporated. Once well combined, pour the mixture through a sieve and into a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly to avoid burning. It’ll be lumpy at first, but just keep stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes and it’ll come together.
Place the cooked custard in a bowl, add the vanilla, mix well, then cover with some cling wrap. Make sure the cling wrap touches the entire surface of the custard, so it doesn’t form a skin while chilling in the fridge.
While the custard is chilling, preheat your oven to 200°Celsius for about 10 minutes. While waiting, prepare the pastry.
Using a sharp knife, cut four strips of puff pastry about one inch wide. The strips will serve as the “frame/rim” of the pie. You can stick the strips to the puff pastry base by using egg whites. Trim as need. Lightly brush the tops of the rim with more egg white, making sure you don’t get any on the sides (so your pastry will puff up instead of sticking together). You can sprinkle some sugar over the egg wash for added flavor and texture.
Once your pastry is ready, take the custard from the fridge and give it a good stir to loosen it up a bit. Then evenly spread the custard in the middle of the pastry.
Place the peach quarters over the custard, pressing lightly so it sinks into the custard and stays in place. Try not to get the pastry wet with syrup if you’re using canned peaches (like me).
Bake at 200°Celsius for 30-35 minutes. Check it every 10 minutes or so to make sure the pastry is evenly browned.
Before serving, drizzle some honey and sprinkle some mint leaves on top. Best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
NOTES
— I’ve been looking for puff pastry for the longest time and finally found it at The Marketplace.
— I used vanilla paste with real vanilla seeds. The brand is Sonlie and it’s made in Japan. I got it from S&R.
— If you like your peaches mushier, cover the pastry rim with a little bit of aluminum foil and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, but check it regularly so your peaches won’t burn.
— If you like some caramelized bits on the peaches, you can brush some honey or sprinkle some sugar on it in the last 10 minutes of the baking time.