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Light Peach Tart with Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD

Peach pie with olive oil crust

I really like fruit tarts even though they are not common in Greek cuisine. In the traditional Greek diet, fruit is usually consumed fresh, dried or sweetened (served in small amounts) and sometimes in a cake. But once in a while I want something with a crust. The problem is that with the typical fruit pie or tart, there is so much butter and sugar and even cream that any benefits of the fruit are cancelled out. So, for this recipe, I wanted to combine the goodness of fruit with tastiness of a crust but in a form that is fairly healthy.

My first thought was to use olive oil in the crust instead of butter (click here for more on baking with olive oil), reducing some of the saturated fat and add some whole wheat flour so increasing a bit the fiber. And for the filling, I reduced the amount of sugar and added little else.

I was inspired by a recipe on Food52, that had this crust that required little work as you basically press it in your tart pan and there is no need to roll out the dough. And of course you can use this crust recipe for savory tarts which will go well with vegetables.

Accompany this with Greek yogurt for a dessert that appears indulgent but yet has healthy fats and less sugar then your typical fruit tart.

peach tart

Peach Tart with Whole Wheat Olive Oil Crust

INGREDIENTS

-For filling-

  • 4-5 Peaches
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1-2 Tablespoons flour

-For crust-

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 Celsius).

2. In a bowl mix the flours along with the salt and sugar.

3. In another bowl blend oils with the yogurt.

4. Add the oil mixture to the flours and blend until you have crumbly dough.

5. Take the dough and press firmly it in your tart pan, until it goes up the sides. If you are using a 9 inch pan you will have leftover. (I use a       spring form tart/quiche pan)

6. In a small bowl, blend sugars with sugar, cinnamon and flour.

7. Cut the peaches in slices about ½ inch wide and place in a bowl.

8. Sprinkle the sugar mixture on peaches and blend lightly.

9. Place peaches in a circular pattern in your crust.

10. Bake for about 45 minutes until mixture is bubbly.

Photos by Elena Paravantes

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

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11 Comments

  1. I’ve made a press in crust like this for another dish and it worked well. I’m confused what you mean by ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup “vegetable olive oil.” For the “vegetable olive oil” was that just supposed to say “vegetable oil”?

    I think when I try this I might try it with a crust of almond flour (or simply finely ground almonds in a food processor) mixed with unbleached all-purpose flour.

    Reply

    2. It does not seem corrected because it still says “1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vegetable olive oil.” So is there a total of 1/4 cup olive oil, or does recipe call for a total of 1/2 cup olive oil?

  2. Great recipe! I modified this to make a peach-blueberry gluten free cobbler. The changes I made:
    For the filling, I substituted 1/3 cup honey for the sugar, I used brown rice flour, and I added one cup of blueberries, one Tbsp lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a Tbsp of butter, cut into little pieces.
    For the crust, I substituted brown rice flour, I used half butter and half olive oil, I used 2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar, and I used 4 Tbsp of plain yogurt.
    It was divine!

    Reply

  3. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I don’t have whole wheat flour but I will substitute with buckwheat. Hope it’s good! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I have been looking for non-butter pie crust.

    Reply

  4. Looks gorgeous! I’m going to try it. I’d love to make a crust with spelt flour, too. I think I might try using some in this recipe – I’ll let you know how it goes!

    Reply