Fresh fruit rustic tart

Here's a great thing to do with fruit you have in the fridge that is ripe and ready to eat, but no one wants to eat it. I had two nectarines, a few leftover cherries that had been sweetened and thickened with a bit of cornstarch and a dash of almond extract, and some plums. I peeled and diced the nectarines, diced the plums (left the peel on), and reheated the cherries to smooth out their sauce. I combined all the fruit and tasted it for sweetness. It didn't need any more sugar as the fruit was ripe and the cherries had already been sweetened.

I used a buttery dough that included 1/4 cup cornmeal to a cup of flour, to give it some stability. Simply roll out your favorite pie dough to a large circle, say 12-14 inches in diameter, onto a round baking stone (or cookie sheet if you don't have a stone). Pour the fruit mixture into the middle of the dough and spread it to within about 2 inches of the edge. With a large off-set spatula, lift the edge of the dough and fold it over the fruit. It will pleat naturally. This is a rustic tart, so perfection isn't the goal here. Brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of sugar. Dot the exposed fruit with a few small bits of butter (less than a teaspoon, total).

Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.

These are best eaten warm, the day they are baked, but are OK the next day. A little vanilla ice cream is never a bad idea!

Almost any fruits can be handled this way, although beware of strawberries--they are a bit too watery when cooked. A few can be added to other berry mixtures. Apples and pears are nice too.

This tart actually has a name: in French these are called galettes. Bon apetit!

NOTE: If all this dough business is just too much bother for you, the fruit mixture on its own is lovely, warmed slightly in the microwave and topped with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.