{The Girl Kyle Bakes} Just Peachy

This recipe is looooong overdue as I made it for my Mother's birthday.  In July!  Better late than never in this case... At work I have the privilege of opening all the mail that comes to the dealership.  I say privilege because I get to riffle through everyone's personal stuff.  Kidding.  I get first crack at all the magazines before they make their way into our lounge.  Working at a car dealership means a lot of boring car magazines, but we also get People, Martha Stewart, Food & Wine and some other enjoyable reads.  The thing I like about Food & Wine is the key in the front of the magazine that breaks down all the recipes by kind and where they're at.  I'm quickly able to find any delicious dessert recipes and then get back to business.

My mom is a fan of cobblers, tarts and most any fruit dessert so this recipe immediately caught my attention.  Not only because of the peaches, but the smoked almonds. (Although I didn't end up attempting the smoked almond)  My Mom loves anything with an almond flavor so I thought I'd try something new.  Unfortunately this isn't one of those happy endings stories.  Don't get me wrong, this was good, just not great.  It could be all my fault since I didn't attempt the smoked almonds and just used raw almonds.  It's more of a cheescake with the peaches being sort of an afterthought.  So if you're a cheesecake fan then go for it because I feel like with Nilla wafers you can never go wrong!

Creamy Peach Tart with Smoky Almond Crust

{Via Food & Wine}

• 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, such as Nilla Wafers (5 ounces)
• 1/2 cup smoked almonds
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 2 firm, ripe medium peaches, peeled and cut into thin wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, combine the vanilla wafers with the almonds and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and process until fine. Add the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is set.
2. Meanwhile, wipe out the food processor bowl. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, egg and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and process until smooth. Pour the custard into the crust and bake for 15 minutes, until set. Let the tart cool slightly and transfer to the freezer to chill, about 15 minutes.
3. In a bowl, toss the peaches with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Arrange the peaches in 2 concentric circles over the custard. Remove the ring, cut the tart into wedges and serve.