Puff Pastry Tarts with Goat Cheese, Blueberries and Nectarines

Here’s another delicious recipe for the nectarine and blueberry combination. And almost as easy to make as the clafoutis if you use a store bought puff pastry.

You will need:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 2 large nectarines, halved, pit removed, thinly sliced
• 1 cup blueberries, rinsed and thoroughly pat dried                 
• Egg wash: 1 quail egg + a tiny splash of water (you can use a chicken egg yolk instead; I only use quail eggs here because of the size)

Cheese filling:

• 4 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat), at room temperature
• 5 oz soft goat cheese like chevre, at room temperature
• 3-4 Tbsp sugar, depending on the sweetness of nectarines and blueberries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest from 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 4 Tbsp sour cream/plain yogurt/Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)

Thaw puff pastry as indicated on a package. Don’t let it become too soft, though. It should be warm enough to unfold without breaking, but not more than that.

Meanwhile, start preheating oven to 400-410F and prep the rest of the ingredients.

For the cheese filling, put all the ingredients in a bowl of a standing mixer and whip until light and fluffy. Set aside while you deal with the pastry.

On a floured surface, unfold the pastry and dust with more flour. Roll into about 11” square and divide it in half so you’ll get two equal rectangles. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.

With a pizza cutter or a knife, lightly score about 3/8 inch border all around each rectangle. Use a small fork to prick the pastry multiple times inside the border. But don't touch the border itself – you will need it to rise and puff up in the oven!

Evenly spread half the filling in the middle of each rectangle leaving about 1/8 inch to the scored border. Arrange the nectarine slices in overlapping manner around the filling and sprinkle the blueberries in the center. Brush the borders with an egg wash and place the baking sheet in the oven.  

Bake for 25-28 min or until the pastry has puffed up and turned golden brown.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven and gently transfer the tarts to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely, then slice and serve. You can lightly drizzle them with honey, preferably lavender- or rosemary-infused.