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Bryan Martin's summer nectarine tart tatin

Bryan Martin

Nectarine tart tatin.
Nectarine tart tatin.David Reist

I'm sure there is some kind of botanical or climactic reason for this, why fruit trees seem to produce a bumper crop one year and then hardly any the next. I could "Bing it" and see what comes up with that search engine, but then again, saying "Google it" makes so much more sense and frankly I haven't time to deal with Microsoft anymore. Or, I could just call my colleague Owen Pidgeon from Loriendale Orchard. He'd know for sure and doesn't put up those bothersome pop-up car advertisements while you're talking to him. "Sure," he'd say, "That's a phenomena called alternate bearing, or AB for short, common amongst deciduous fruits ... Have you thought of buying a Jeep today?.."

A year ago I think I found only one nectarine on my tree. I waited patiently for it to ripen and when it was almost there, gone, the flock of cockatoos that seem to be happy stripping the oak trees of their acorns decides to ruin my breakfast. This year, on the other hand, there is literally a tonne of beautiful little red nectarines. More than is possible to get through so I'm happy to share with the cockies. They are beautiful nectarines I have to say.

Years ago when I first looked to the fields and paddocks of Murrumbateman for a better life, one away from angry head chefs and steamy kitchens, I met and worked for a couple who had this nectarine tree. There was much excitement at having a little crop on and the tree was carefully netted. This was way before the wealth of produce that is possible from this area was opened to me. So I didn't quite get what the fuss was all about. It's just a nectarine right, aren't the supermarkets full of them and, are peaches not the better choice anyway?

Once you've gorged yourself on half a dozen each day then is the time to start looking for ways of using these little numbers up.
Once you've gorged yourself on half a dozen each day then is the time to start looking for ways of using these little numbers up.Mel Hill Photography
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Turns out that "no" is the correct answer here. These little gems are called Goldmine nectarines. They are the most intense and sweet of the stone fruit. Small, white flesh with a pip that is fairly easy to get out. Only problem is that they have a very short shelf-life, bruise easy so you probably won't see them at the supermarket.

Once we got our allocation of one nectarine, I was hooked, eating that nectarine in the last ray's of summer, warm, so juicy and a real kickass flavour. So I planted one tree and now bask in its bi-annual shenanigans. As a second child I understand nectarines so well. It's not that my older brother is particularly fuzzy, it's more that like when comparing the peach to the nectarine, he got, it seemed to my childhood mind, so much more attention. Like he could do no wrong, just bat his blue eyes at my parents and they'd believe that sure he couldn't do the horrid things I was accusing him of. That's the peach, everyone seems to know it better, use it in amusing analogies, metaphors and make cocktails with it. If you said to someone, "Everything is nectariney," they'd have no idea what you mean.

Once you've gorged yourself on half a dozen each day then is the time to start looking for ways of using these little numbers up. Halved, stones removed and sautéed in butter they can be added to salads or layered into butter cakes. You can poach nectarines in sugar syrup to preserve but for me they are fantastic in an old school upside-down tart tatin. The combination of caramel, butter pastry and nectarines is intoxicating, brilliant, just so peachy.

Nectarine tart tatin

200g brown sugar
100g butter, diced
100g castor sugar
1 tsp salt
20 nectarines, peeled, halved, stones removed

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Half a quantity of puff pastry (see recipe below). Heat the oven to 180C. Heat the brown sugar in a wide heavy based pan - big enough to fit all the nectarines. Let the sugar sort of dissolve and liquefy. Once it starts to colour, which won't take much time at all, stir in the diced butter, the rest of the sugar and the salt.

Let this cool for minute or two. Place the nectarines, cut side up, in the salted caramel. They should be packed in very tight. Let them sit while you roll out the pastry. This should be a circle about 1-2 cm larger than the pan. Press the pastry into the nectarines and fold the overhang into the edges so they'll thicken up a bit more there.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and bubbling at the edges. Let it cool for a few minutes, place a plate upside down on top of the pan and quickly invert the tart. It should come out in one piece. Serve with good cream.

Puff pastry

500g butter, unsalted
500g plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vinegar
220ml cold water

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Dice one quarter of the butter and set aside. Form the rest of the butter into a neat square and chill until needed. In a food processor add the flour, salt and the diced butter. Pulse a few times to form a breadcrumb-like mixture. Add the cold water and vinegar, pulse again until a loose crumbly dough forms.

Turn out on a very lightly floured pastry mat and quickly gather and knead into a ball, flatten slightly and wrap and chill for a few hours or overnight. Remove the dough from fridge along with the square of chilled butter. Place the butter between two sheets of parchment and bash out to a thickness of 5mm with a rolling pin, keeping it as square as possible.

Dust the pastry mat with a little flour, roll out the pastry into a cross like shape so that the middle part is thicker and about the same size as the square of butter. You want about the same amount of dough below as is above the butter block in the next stage.

Place the square of butter in the middle of the pastry and then fold over the four edges into the so you have a neat squarish bundle of butter wrapped in pastry. Roll out to about 20cm wide and 60cm long.

Fold like it's a letter, into thirds basically. Turn sideway 90 degrees and repeat this process and chill for at least 3 hours. Take out and repeat the last two actions, chill again and then do this one more time. Cut in half as you'll only need one half for this recipe. You'll then have the swagger of knowing you have a hand-made puff pastry in your freezer.

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