My first entry into SHF and I couldn’t decide what to do. Should I make some macapuno tarts — those cute oval things filled with a creamy mutant coconut mixture — that usually make their way into the United States in Filipino suitcases? Should I go with a caramel nut tart drizzled with dark chocolate, my hubby’s favorite and an established member of our holiday gift-baking lineup?

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), my oven made the decision for me. I was almost panicky this morning when the repair guy came and repair/replacement of the oven was put on hold. I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to make my first entry into SHF, and my kids had been so looking forward to it! (We have dairy and wheat sensitivities in the family so I don’t bake goodies as often as I used to.) I had no idea if my Black and Decker toaster oven was up to the task — until today it had not been used for anything other than toasting bread or reheating pizza slices. There was only one way to find out, and that was to go ahead and bake these — the major reason being they’re small enough to fit in the B&D!

I love rustic, free-form tarts because they’re such a stress-free way to make dessert (or snack if you wish) — perfect for my already frazzly day. You can make the dough ahead of time, mix the filling, and let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. I baked three this afternoon — they were gone in a flash — and will bake more before dinnertime, so they’re ready just in time for dessert.

At any rate, here’s my entry into this month’s Sugar High Friday, hosted by life in flow. Is it tantalizing? Titillating? I don’t know, but it sure was tempting enough for my kids to gobble down in a few swift bites.

Makes 8 mini-tarts

Dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into little pieces(or use half vegetable shortening and half butter)
1/4 cup ice-cold water

Filling:
4 peaches, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste (depending on how tart your peaches are)
Demerara sugar for garnishing

Combine flour, cornmeal and sugar in a bowl. Add unsalted butter pieces and using your fingertips, or a pastry blender, work butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water just until dough forms. Remove to work surface and gently knead a couple of times. [Alternatively, you can use a food processor to make the dough, pulsing in the butter, and then the water. Take out of the food processor and knead briefly, just until dough comes together. Another easy way to mix pastry dough without getting it too warm is to put the butter-flour mixture into a resealable plastic bag, then add the water. Squeeze the dough together in the bag until dough forms. This last procedure is particularly fun for kids.]

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece up into a disk. Put the disks in a plastic bag and refrigerate for half an hour or overnight. In large bowl, toss peaches with blueberries and sugar and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk to a 6-inch round. Transfer rolled dough onto a piece of parchment. Fill with a few tablespoons of the fruit mixture and fold up the edges, crimping as you go along. Sprinkle with demarara sugar. Slide tarts, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and crust is golden.

I used frozen wild blueberries from Woodstock Farms as the blueberries at my local market weren’t looking good (plus they’re usually bland and uninteresting) — and the local CSA doesn’t start until July. Wild blueberries are so much sweeter than the regular kind, and they’re so tiny and cute! I planted a couple of bushes this year, which I got from Nourse Farms, along with some high-bush blueberries, raspberries, currants, asparagus and strawberries…. but I won’t get to harvest any until next year. So far, our avian friends have been polite enough to leave the minuscule fruits alone. Either that or they don’t think it’s worth it (yet), since there’s hardly a handful on the little branches.

The tarts are yummy fresh out of the oven, which is how my hungry kids devoured them (my 8-yo burned his tongue, so careful!). Or you can keep the tarts — after they’ve cooled — in an airtight container for a few hours. They’re lovely for a picnic, and small enough to eat without needing utensils.

This recipe was based on one which originally appeared in the June 2001 issue of Food and Wine.

[I am happy to report that the B&D delivered. For a small appliance that we usually take for granted, it truly made my day.]