This is a delicious summer dessert that I make again and again!  Try to use fresh stone fruit that is overripe, such as plums, nectarines, peaches and berries.  To make the recipe even simpler, feel free to use ready-made pie dough!

What You’ll Need:

Crust

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour

¼ cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)

1 ¾ stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1/3 cup ice water

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon orange peel, grated

¾ teaspoon salt

Filling

4 medium nectarines, pitted and cut into slices (or a combination of peaches and plums

1 cup fresh berries ( blackberries, blueberries or raspberries, rinsed)

¼ cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, well beaten (as a glaze)

Raw sugar crystals (to sprinkle on crust, optional)

Apricot preserve, heated

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

What to Do:

For Crust:

In a food processor, combine flour, polenta, sugar, orange peel and salt. Add butter; use on/off pulses to blend until butter is reduced to pea-size bits. Add ice water and blend until dough becomes moist clumps. You may add more water by the teaspoon if dough is too dry.

Remove dough from processor by gathering it into a ball. Then press ball into a flattened disk. Wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for at least an hour.

If you are making the dough a day ahead of time, chill until ready to use and let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll dough out to about 14-inch round. Turn dough occasionally to prevent from sticking. Place on a rimless backing sheet, including the parchment paper, and chill in the refrigerator until dough firms some, about 30 minutes.

You can use any berries you would like for the filling as well as peaches!

For Filling:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Mix in fruit and vanilla extract. Allow mixture to stand until juices are released, stirring fruit mixture occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Transfer dough from refrigerator to work surface and allow dough to soften slightly at room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Spoon the fruit and juices into center of dough. Arrange fruit into a single layer that is about a 10-ince diameter in the center. Brush 2-inches of exposed dough with egg glaze, then lift and pinch about 2-inches of dough border to form a vertical seam. Continue around tart, pinching seam every 2-inches to form a standing border. Fold border down over fruit, about 6-inches of fruit will remain exposed and uncovered. Brush folded border with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar.

Place tart into oven and bake. Bake tart until crust is golden brown and fruit filling is bubbling, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, using a large metal spatula loosen tart from parchment to prevent from sticking. Brush with heated apricot preserve. Slice and serve al a mode with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!