Rustic Individual Peach Tarts

I haven't blogged in about 2 weeks now and I really miss it. I have been working on quiet a big Food Styling job and just haven't had the time. If I didn't have 2 small children I think I could have fit it in but that is not the case and my little guys need quality and quantity mommy time.

One of the reasons for my blogs existence is that I need a quick and current place for potential employers to view some of my styling work which is presented on the right side of my blog. I am working a lot these days so that goal is served but I also like to blog because it makes me happy. I enjoy preparing and taking photos of the food I make. My struggles to understand and overcome some of the difficulties of food photography can only be a good thing.

The next week and half are going to be a bit of a blur....with a five day shoot coming up that should leave me completely spent. I had wanted to blog a bit about school lunches but it will have to wait. I do ask anyone reading this to please leave me a comment with any ideas you may have. I plan on spending the second half of September blogging about some great and easy to prepare recipes for school lunches, so look out for that.

Yesterday afternoon during my kid's quiet time/nap time I did a little baking and the results were good : thus this post. When I finished cleaning up I hoped for enough time for a tea before my little guys woke up, but my oldest appeared before me needing juice and a snack and so the second shift began. To be able to present my tart pics here I had to retrieve my cameras batteries from my sons various remote control cars. I love this crazy parenting ride I am on, but I wonder how anyone with more than 2 children can do anything creative outside of family life?

Rustic Individual Peach Tarts

• 750ml/3 cups Sliced unpeeled fresh peaches
• 60ml/4 T Sugar
• 45ml/3 T Cornstarch
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 500 ml/2 cups All purpose flour
• 2.5 ml/1/2 t Salt
• 125 ml/1/2 cup Butter
• 125 ml/1/2 cup Shortening
  
• 125ml/1/2 cup Cold water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F/220C. I cannot stress how much a properly pre-heated oven helps make a lovely crust .
2. In a bowl gently stir together the peaches, sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl stir together the flour and the salt. With a pastry blender cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse meal with pea sized pieces of fat still visible. Add the water a few spalshes at a time until the dough is just wet enough to come together. Knead the dough as few times as possible so that the dough comes together without crumbling. Chill the wrapped dough in the back of your refridgerator for at least 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out rough circles of about 15 cm / 6 inches in diameter. With the scraps patch together one more disk if you can.
   
5. Pile the peaches into a level mounds in the center of each circlular crust, leaving 1 to 2 inches of exposed dough around the edge. Fold the dough up over the fruit. The edges should cover some of the peaches, but not reach the center of the tart. Pour equal amounts of any juice that has accumulated in bowl over the exposed fruit of each tart.
6. Makes 5 to 6 tarts.
   

Bake for 25 to 35 mintes until crust is golden and juices from peaches are bubbling.