Decadent Nutella-filled gluten-free & paleo pastry crust topped with sumptuous brûléed peach slices!

Yield: 2 tarts
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Gluten-Free Brûléed Peach & Nutella Tarts

Y'all, these tarts. I don't even know where to begin; they're an enticing and alluring mix of naughty, aphrodisiac deliciousness. First, you take a crumbly, almond and chestnut gluten-free pastry crust and fill it with silky Nutella. Then you fan juicy, sumptuous peach slices over top, sprinkle with sugar and burnish the sugar and peach flesh with a blowtorch.

Everyone knows that chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac, and gourmands have regarded the aphrodisiac power of peaches for centuries. Isabella Allende writes in Aphrodite, that peaches are "perhaps the most sensual of all fruits, for their delectable perfume, soft and juicy texture, and flesh color ..." The day I made this dessert was one of those rough days and I needed something to nurture and soothe my soul; something to indulge in. I wanted to lose myself in an ocean of chocolate, bathe in a crystal pool of sweet fruit juice.

I'm an emotional eater, but not in the Oprah/Dr Phil way. I don't just shovel in spoonfuls of Nutella to quell bad spirits (okay, I do, but not all the time). No matter what I'm feeling: anxious, elated, exasperated, depressed or nostalgic, I can match those feelings with food and fully ... submerge in them and feel all of it, every aspect of an emotion. That's what I love about food, it can become this vehicle for transferring nurturing, tenderness and even rage. If you're the type of person who bakes a chocolate cake when you're sad instead of reaching for the tub of Ben & Jerry's, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Back to the tarts, have I mentioned how sumptuous and decadent they are? Have I mentioned how dangerous they are? Oh, they are dangerous and powerful and they can right wrongs. They can envelope you in a sweet blanket of pure goodness and just hold you there until you need to be released. I'm not sure there's anything more to say; you've got to try these. You've got to.

You'll want a blowtorch for this one; you'll need a blowtorch. Please don't try to stick this under a grill/broiler. You just want to lightly burnish the sugar on the peaches and the peach flesh. I had the fortunate opportunity of receiving a blowtorch from Viking Direct for the purpose of creating this recipe.

You might notice that there are a few little tartlets dotted around the photos. I had extra tart crust and thought I'd make some little tarts for my 2 year old He loved them because they're the perfect size for his little hands. And helloooo, mom, they're filled with chocolate!

Ingredients:

For the gluten-free tart pastry
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (3 tablespoons) chestnut flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (100 grams) ground almonds or almond meal
pinch fine sea salt
 
For the tart filling
1 peach, ripe and juicy
4 tablespoons Nutella
sugar for sprinkling

Notes:

• Special equipment needed: a cook's blowtorch

Gluten-Free Brûléed Peach & Nutella Tarts

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
2. Mix the ground almonds, salt and cinnamon together with your fingers, breaking up any clumps.
3. Pour the dry mix into a food processor with a knife attachment and turn it on a low setting.
4. Cut the butter into the dry mix until a dough begins to form. Take care not to over pulse the mix as the ground almonds will begin to release some of their natural oils if they are worked too much.
5. Press the dough along the bottoms and sides of greased tart tins. If you are using silicone molds, don't bother greasing them.
6. Bake the tarts for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are golden brown. Once they are cooked, allow to cool before adding the filling.
7. Pipe or spoon in the Nutella and fan the peach slices over the top.
8. Sprinkle the peach slices with sugar and caramelize using a blow torch.