Recipes

Gluten-free Peach Tarts

Sometimes gluten-free desserts can taste a little weird, but this flour substitute will have you trying all your favourite baked goods in gluten-free versions

By Catherine RBarr /

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

You can have your gluten-free tart and eat it too, by substituting equal parts Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery’s gluten-free all-purpose baking mix for flour

Take advantage of the amazing local peaches available in BC and try Cloud 9’s flour substitute for a delicious gluten-free dessert

On my way back from the Okanagan a few weeks ago I picked up some fresh, local peaches. They were the best peaches I’ve ever had – juicy, full of flavour and perfectly ripe.

Shortly after that, we had dinner with friends and I was in charge of dessert (and appetizers – see last week’s post). I knew it would include peaches and I was leaning toward pastry. I’d been waiting to try Cloud 9 Specialty Bakery’s gluten-free all-purpose baking mix so I decided on peach tarts.

I’ve tried a few of the prepared gluten-free baked goods from Cloud 9 and they were incredibly, surprisingly good. The Piccolo Buns, which are like ciabatta bread, are out of this world, and the chocolate chip cookies are fantastic too.

Plus, they benefit a wonderful local company called Karma Exchange, with 10 percent of chocolate chip cookie sales going to the Savelugu Girls’ Education Project.

The pastry recipe is from one of my favourite cookbooks, The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. The recipe is for tarte tartin but I used peaches instead of the apple mixture for the filling, and I made individual tarts instead of one big one.

Cloud 9’s baking mix can be substituted for the exact amount of flour in any recipe. Easy!

The tarts turned out really great and the gluten-free baking mix tasted similar to whole wheat flour – delicious and healthy. Well, as healthy as a peach tart is ever going to get.

Next, I’m going to make gluten-free versions of my chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and carrot cake with Cloud 9’s baking mix. My dad can’t eat gluten so it will be nice to still be able to share my favourite dessert recipes with him.

Let us know how your gluten-free recipes turn out!

Ingredients

Makes 12 tarts

  • 6 peaches, cut into 12 slices
  • 1 cup Cloud 9’s gluten-free all-purpose baking mix
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • Ice water

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine baking mix, sugar and salt.
  2. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.
  3. Stir vinegar with enough ice water to make 1/4 cup. Drizzle over flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed and adding a little more water if necessary.
  4. Press into ball and flatten into disc.
  5. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 3 days.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a square and cut into 12 equal squares.
  7. Arrange pastry squares in a square mini cake pan (or muffin tray) and fill with equal amounts of sliced peaches.
  8. Bake in preheated 425F oven for about 20 minutes or until pastry begins to brown and peaches begin to bubble.
  9. Let cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 minutes and then gently remove with knife and place directly on wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes.