PEACH & CHERRY JALOUSIE, Indulgence, low/no added sugar

Indulgent Peach & Cherry puff pastry envelope for marking a fading summer....

Nothing like alcohol-soaked soft fruit in puff pastry (with no-alcohol opt)
'Very good!' 'subtle but unmistakeable taste of whiskey & cinnamon'

A pretty puff pastry tart stuffed with peaches & cherries is a lovely treat as harvest draws summer to a close.  

67's gorgeous pastry - known as a Jalousie - is a French frippery modelled after parallel window blinds.  67's twist is in the flavouring: cinnamon whiskey.  It's food for the gods.

Frozen butter pastry* is fine for this dish (though if you have the time, home-made rough puff would be better)  

Frozen dough needs planning: take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge at least 36 hours before needed.  A package contains two 2-sheets in a box, making a 9inch/23cm-ish square.

Ready-rolled puff pastry sheets** which don't require defrosting will also be fine though they're larger and will cost more.  Unless you're making a half-sized jalousie, you'll probably need 2 unless you're making a small jalousie. 
A larger jalousie will need more fruit for the filling and probably an extra 10-15 mins baking. 

 
Prep starts the night before serving.

It's best eaten as soon as possible out of the oven.

Cost: £4.50
Makes: 4-6 portions

Ingreds:
   1 pkt frozen puff pastry (2 x 200gm) defrosted* 

   2.5 good-sized peaches/nectarines, peeled, cut in 16 wedges
   120gm/4.2gm cherries, de-stemmed, halved and pits removed

   3-4 tbsp cinnamon flavoured whiskey, divided (opt) or orange or grape juice mixed with 1/8 tsp cinnamon 

   4-6 tbsp ground almonds, rice flour or finely milled breadcrumbs  

   1 egg

Icing (opt):
   juices drained from fruit
   1/2 cup of icing sugar    
Blend until smooth and flowing; if too thick, add a bit of milk or a little more alcohol

Method:

1. The night before: put fruit in separate bowls; stir in alcohol (or juice); cover; refrigerate 
2. On the day: preheat oven to 220c/210fan/220f
3. Beat egg with 1 tbsp water; set aside 
4. Leaving one layer of pastry in the fridge; roll out the other to a 9inch/23cm square; place on a baking sheet lined with silicone mat or greaseproof paper; brush a 1 inch/2.5cm border with the egg wash
5. Sprinkle a layer of ground almonds within the egg washed border 
6. Drain peach slices & cherry halves, reserving juice; dry them with a paper towel
7. Arrange peach slices neatly inside the border
   
   
   
8.  Scatter cherry halves over.   If you think the fruit needs it, sprinkle over 1-2 tbsp sugar 
9. Take the second piece of pastry, fold it in half lengthwise;with a sharp knife, slice the centre at an angle
   
10. Open out and spread over pastry base and fruit; seal edges with the tines of a fork (if done properly the top layer will appear as chevrons; 67's has stripes because the second layer of pastry wasn't cold enough and the chevrons stretched!)
11. Brush all over with egg wash
    
12. Bake 10mins, reduce heat to 190c/375; bake a further 15mins until golden, moving tray from front to back for even browning
13. Meanwhile whisk 2 tbsp leftover fruit juices with 1/3-1/2 cup icing sugar, adding a little more liquid if necessary - tablespoon by tablespoon - until it's smooth and flowing
14. When jalousie is cooked, rest in tray 5 mins then slide - on its mat or greaseproof paper - onto a wire rack; cool another 5 mins
15. Drizzle icing over the jalousie; serve with ice cream, whipped cream or yoghurt flavoured with vanilla and a little sugar

Comments:

'My lodger and I shared this and even though I'd burnt it badly at the edges reheating it, we both thought it was very very good.' Political agent

'The warmer you eat this, the better.' Retired writer

Tips: 

• bargain nectarines and peaches** are maddening -  getting them all to ripen at the same time isn't easy and they go from ripe to oversoft easily.  But place them, without touching, in a brown paper bag stabbed with a few holes and they ripen quickly and evenly in 3 days
• to help loosen peach/nectarine skins, drop into a bowl of boiling water for 2-3 mins or until skins come away from the flesh a little;  remove, plunge into ice water; a very sharp paring knife will make the task easier
• 67 doesn't have a cherry pitting device but this year's cherries are so fat, they are easily halved and the stones loosened with a sharp knife 

*Waitrose own brand

**M&S

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.