LAVENDER INFUSED STONE FRUIT TARTELETTES

Whenever we go grocery shopping, I pick up some fruits, mostly which are new to me. But sometimes, and this 'sometimes' happen very often these days that I pick up stone fruits to eat and I end up baking with it. Talk about the sugar dose that I need quite often! ;-)

Luckily, these fruits are very ripe and sweet on it's own, so we don't end up adding cups and cups of sugar unlike cakes (wait till the fruit season is over! I bet I'll be back to cakes!) :-) Well, I would like to call them as healthy desserts, though some of you might not agree with me :)

I always adored lavender. I love love love it's smell in soaps, talcum powders, body lotions, shampoo etc. So when I got hold of a bag of lavender, I treasure it like gold! They stay fresh for about a year! The cupboard in which I store it smells of lavender now. It smells so good! All those who haven't ever smelt it, go ahead! Try it for yourself and see!

Lavender adds a beautiful flavour to whatever it is added into. It is very subtle and does not overpower the flavours of the main ingredients, unlike a lot of other flavouring that we get in the market. I absolutely detest almond extract for it's very strong taste. Vanilla is my all time favourite and now, lavender too!

So, this was another dessert that I made over the weekend for the friends get-together. This time we had an overload of desserts! Sometimes all the good things come at the same time leaving us with no space for more!

LAVENDER INFUSED STONE FRUIT TARTELETTES
Recipe source: Helene


Ingredients:
Crust:
Unsalted butter- 5 tbsp , room temp.
Egg yolks-3
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Flour-150 g
Cold milk- 2tbsp -1/4 cup

Filling:
Peaches, red plums, black plums- 2, each (ripe)
Sugar- 1/2 cup or to taste
Lavender- 1/2 tbsp

Method:
Crust:

• In a mixer, whip the butter on medium speed until light and airy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add the salt, and all  flour, and mix briefly. Add enough milk to moisten it. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.
• When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your prefered pie pan. If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 10-15 minutes until almost completely baked. Remove the weights and parchment paper. At this point you can refrigerate the baked crust for up to 3 days before using. Roll some extra dough to form lattice pattern on top if desired. You can also freeze the extra raw dough for up to three months.

Filling:

• Place the chopped fruits in a non reactive bowl. Rub the sugar and lavender together and sprinkle over the fruit. Gently mix with a spatula. Let the fruit marinate for about 20 minutes. 

Assembly:

• Divide the fruits among the tart shells, top with lattice if desired and bake 20 minutes. Let the tarts cool completely before eating. 

Verdict: A fruit lover's delight! I loved the pairing of the not-so-buttery crust with the tartness of the stone fruits.