Rose and Vanilla Poached Peaches & A White Chocolate Mascarpone Tart with Peach

I am a food shopaholic…the fact that I can actually make our travel plans depending on whether or not we can buy good food ingredients from a particular place, just proves it beyond a shred of doubt! And you know what…I am proud to be one (mostly ;) )

Stone fruits are in season…peaches, plum, and cherries are plentiful. Given my addiction of food shopping last weekend I bought a whole lot of peaches (way more than two people can humanly consume J ). We enjoyed eating a lot of them and still had enough left…thus I came upon the ‘consume peaches in various forms’ mission. Some of the peaches that I bought were still a little unripe, the best way to eat these is to poach them and that’s exactly what I did. In fact I experimented with the flavour combination of peaches, vanilla & Rose! Nothing that could possibly go wrong with these anyway J I used the lovely dried roses that I had bought from my last trip to Shenzhen. The peaches beautifully absorbed the rose aroma and flavour, with the vanilla bean adding a rich muskiness to it without overpowering its sweetish, slightly tart floral taste  J

These can be eaten as is with the sweet aromatic syrup or top them on a bowl of yogurt or crème fraiche along with a spoon of the gorgeous syrup. It would serve as a perfect light desert.

A few slices of peaches along with yogurt can be topped with granola for a quick and healthy breakfast option.  R was particularly hooked on to this one; he ate this twice a day for at least a week J

I still had half a jar of these rose poached peaches, they just seemed perfect to be topped on a Tart. So I made a Mascarpone & White Chocolate Tart with an easy to assemble, no fuss Oreo Crust & topped it with these peaches. This one was, my favourite way of eating the peaches. The sweet mascarpone & white chocolate filling was beautifully contrasted with the tart flavour of Peaches with the hint of aromatic rose & vanilla, needless to say, the Oreo crust was the perfect accompaniment as a crust.

Recipe           

Rose & Vanilla Poached Peaches

Ingredients:

10 Peaches halved & stoned

700ml Water

5tbs Sugar

½ a Vanilla Bean (split lengthwise & seeds scrapped)

6-7 dried Rose Buds (the dried rose buds have a more concentrated flavor)

Method:

   1. Combine the sugar, water, vanilla seeds, bean & Rose buds together in a broad based pan/pot and simmer it over low heat till the sugar dissolves.

   2. Gently place the peaches in the pan in a single layer, making sure all the pieces are submerged.

   3. Let it simmer on a medium flame for about 3-4 mins.

   4. Once done, remove the peaches from the pan. The skin would have separated from the fruit. Peel it and keep the peaches in a single layer on a plate.

   5. Let the remaining liquid simmer on a medium flame for another 8-10 mins till it gains a syrupy consistency.

   6. Remove the rose buds & vanilla pod from the syrup with a slotted spoon and let it cool down.

   7. Once both peaches and the syrup have cooled down, transfer them into a sterilized glass jar. You can store it in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

White Chocolate Mascarpone Tart with Oreo Crust

Yield: Three 4 inch Tarts

Ingredients:

For the Crust

2 small packets of Oreo Cookies

1 ½ tbsp Butter (melted)

For the filling

½ cup White Chocolate Chips

200gms Mascarpone Cheese

½ cup Fresh Cream/Full Cream (I used Amul fresh cream as that is the only option)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Topping

4 sliced Peaches (Poached of Fresh- I have used the poached peaches)

Dried Rose Bud

Method:

For the Crust

   1. Crush the Oreo cookies to a fine grainy texture in a food processor/blender.

   2. In a large bowl stir together the cookie crumbs & the melted butter until combined and the crumbs are evenly moistened.

   3. Press the crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom and the sides up. Preferably use tart tins with removable base, this will ensure easy un-moulding. Refrigerate the crust for at least an hour.

For the Filling

   1.  To make the filling, melt the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

   2.  Remove bowl from the pan and set it aside, let it cool down.

   3.  In a separate bowl beat the mascarpone cheese (cheese should be at room temperature) and lightly whip the cream in another bowl. Fold the cream into the cheese, stir till combined. Then gradually add the molten white chocolate and vanilla and combine the mixture.  

Assembly

   1.  Once chilled remove the tart shells from the refrigerator and pour/spoon the mascarpone cheese mixture into the shells. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.

   2. Let it chill in the refrigerator for another half an hour.

   3. To serve, top it with sliced peaches garnished with a dried rose.

   4. Unmould the tart just before serving