Ok. I’ll say it. I almost, almost destroyed this tart. Do you ever make the simplest recipe mistake, when you aren’t thinking, then kick yourself for missing something so simple? Today was one of those days. Oops.
Everything started well. The gingersnaps were whirling away in the food processor as I grabbed a large pat of butter from the fridge. I glanced at the recipe quickly. 6 tablespoons. Then I glanced at my conversion chart. ¾ cup. Except that 6 tablespoons is actually ¼ cup, so I streamed double the amount of butter into the cookie mixture. As I poured it in, I thought it looked like a lot, but didn’t give my conversion a second thought. Until I started pressing it into the pan. The butter was gathering in pools, and the cookies were sopping wet. That’s when I realized what had happened.
To salvage the mess, I scooped everything back into the food processor. I couldn’t remove any butter, but I proceeded to add the rest of the box of cookies until it evened everything out. Crisis averted.
After that, this tart was smooth sailing. The filling is creamy, light, and lovely with hints of lemon and sugar. The sweet nectarines were juicy and worked so well with the crust and filling (even without the crystallized ginger). I suppose you could even eat this for breakfast if you have any leftovers.
Nectarine and Mascarpone Tart in a Gingernsap Crust
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Crust
37 gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken (about 9 ounces; about 3 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of pieces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1/4 cup!)
Filling
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
Topping
4 to 5 small nectarines, halved, pitted, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup peach jam, warmed
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
For crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely grind gingersnaps in processor. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture over bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until color darkens, pressing sides with back of spoon if beginning to slide, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
For filling: Beat first 6 ingredients in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in crystallized ginger if you’re using it. Spread filling in prepared crust. Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
For topping: Overlap nectarine slices atop filling in concentric circles. Brush with jam. Sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger if you’re using it. (Mint makes an excellent garnish, if you’re skipping the ginger.) Serve, or refrigerate up to 6 hours.
