♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Welcome to "America's Test Kitchen At Home."

Today, I'm going to make a rustic peach tart Tatin.

Adam has a roundup of cake pans.

Then, Bridget's making petite financiers.

We've got a lot in store for you today, so, stick around.

♪♪ -Ever since I was a kid, Peaches have been my all-time favorite fruit, but they're a real pain to bake with because the amount of juice that gets released in the oven can vary dramatically.

Which is why I love this recipe for peach tart Tatin.

Traditionally, a tart Tatin is made with apples and it has a gorgeous thin layer of puff pastry, but, thanks to all the juicy peaches, we found that puff pastry got a little soggy, so, we're going to make an all-butter pie crust.

This recipe, in total, uses 13 tablespoons of butter, in three different forms.

Now, the first form is grated butter and we're going to fold this into the dough to make the dough really flaky.

And you want to score along the paper right at the 2-tablespoon mark, and then, you peel it off.

Using a box grater, on the large holes, just going to grate down to where the paper starts.

Now, this butter is going to go into the freezer.

That will help maintain those nice, thin shreds while we get the flour together.

Now, today, we're using just all-purpose flour, so we're looking for 6 1/4 ounces of flour, which is about 1 1/4 cups.

Now, we're going to use the food processor to bring this dough together.

I'm going to add most of the flour, holding back 1/2 cup.

Now, we're going to add just a little salt, 1/4 teaspoon.

We're just going to add a little sugar, just 1 tablespoon.

Now, I'm just going to pulse this together, to mix those dry ingredients.

Alright.

Now, time to add the butter.

Now, this is a pretty unusual way to make pie dough.

Adding the stick of butter that I cut in half into pieces.

This butter isn't chilled.

It's just been sitting out at the counter.

So, in goes the stick of butter.

And, now, I'm just going to let this rip for about 20 to 30 seconds, until it forms a solid piece of dough.

Alright.

You can see that dough just came together in a big old ball, which looks really wrong, if you're used to making a traditional pie dough, but this is just what we wanted.

So, this dough is a lot like cookie dough and it has a lot of gluten built up in it, so it's going to provide some good structure.

But remember, I saved a little bit of the flour, about 1/2 cup, and that's going to help us make a dough that has flaky bits mixed in, so you have a combination of a sturdy dough mixed with a flaky dough, which is perfect.

So here I have that reserved 1/2 cup of flour.

I'm going to add this to the food processor.

I'm just going to pulse in the second batch of flour, until all the pieces have been broken up.

Into a big bowl, this goes.

Now, from here on out, it looks pretty traditional, if you're making a pie dough.

We're going to be very careful and not overwork this dough.

Up next, I'm going to get the butter from the freezer and we're going to fold that in.

Now, you see these pieces of butter are nice and firm and, when they get worked into the dough, they're going to make little striations of butter that will help give a flaky texture.

So, it's that combination of the cookie dough plus these flaky layers that is the ultimate butter crust.

Alright.

So that's incorporated.

Now, time to add the water.

Using ice water, here.

Again, pretty traditional for pie making.

Going to add 2 tablespoons.

Now, using a stiff rubber spatula, I'm just going to stir that water in and start to try to form a dough.

Alright.

2 more tablespoons of water.

Now, this is a lot of water for a pie dough, but this extra moisture is going to make the dough really easy to roll out.

Using the flat side of the spatula, I'm just pressing all these crumbs together into a nice firm dough.

Alright, so that dough has come together.

For the final step, we're going to use some plastic wrap.

Turn the dough and any crumb bits onto the plastic wrap.

And, now, I'm going to use the plastic wrap to help me form it into a nice round that we will then chill for at least two hours, but up to two days in advance.

So you can pick up the edge of the plastic wrap and, through the wrap, use your hands and your knuckles to shape it into a round and get rid of any of those cracks.

Make it nice and round.

And in the fridge it goes, for at least two hours.

♪♪ The dough is rested and it's time to roll it out.

I've let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes.

That way, it'll just roll out without cracking.

And also, you can see I floured the counter pretty well.

That just makes it easier to move around.

I'm also going to flour my rolling pin and then, I'd like to start just by banging in the center.

It helps soften up that very core, which is the last thing to get soft.

And, now, I'm just going to roll it out.

We're looking for a 10-inch round.

There's 10 inches.

Alright, now, I'm going to transfer this to a piece of parchment paper.

You can see this parchment paper is on an overturned baking sheet.

Right now, I'm going to take my fingers and I'm going to fold under the outer 1/2-inch edge.

That'll turn this from a 10-inch round into a 9-inch round.

Alright, then, I'm going to go back around and I'm going to make sure this lip is nice and sturdy and strong.

This'll help support the peaches when the tart is finally turned out.

Last, but not least, I'm going to cut three vent holes in the top, 2 inches long, so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

Alright, so, this is going to go into the refrigerator and chill, while we prep the peaches.

Picking the right peaches for this tart is important because you want them ripe, but you want them super firm because we have to peel them and pit them and hard peaches are way easier to work with.

You need about 2 pounds of peaches, which is about five peaches.

Now, when it comes to prepping peaches, I like to pit it, first, while the skin is still on, so it gives me something to grip, and then I peel.

Now, the other thing about pitting peaches that I've learned just in the past few years, kind of through the equator, and then, you can twist it apart and then, the peach pit sticks up and it gives you a little something to hang onto.

You can wiggle it back and forth, so you can get a little torque.

So there are cling peaches, where the peach pit is stuck inside the peach; or there are freestone, and that means the pit'll fall right out.

And, when they're really firm, like this, sometimes they stick, even if they're freestone.

So, what you have to do is just grab a paring knife.

You can just cut right around the pit and loosen it up a bit.

Aha!

And then, you can just pop out the pit.

And moving on.

Alright.

That's it for the pits.

Now, for the peels.

Because these peaches are so firm, you can just use a traditional peeler and peel away that leathery skin.

That's it for all of the peach peels.

Now, the last thing to do with these peaches is just we're going to cut each half in half again.

And so we have nice cored peaches.

Now, these big pieces are going to caramelize and cook down, so they're nice and soft.

Alright.

Peaches are done.

So this was 3 tablespoons of butter, softened.

Now, I'm just spreading it nice and evenly all over the bottom of the pan.

Now, traditionally, when you make a tart Tatin, you caramelize the fruit in a skillet and then, you put the chilled pastry on top, which is exactly what we're doing here.

So, on top of the butter, we're going to add some sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and I'm just going to sprinkle it evenly into the pan.

I'm going to shake the sugar, so it's a nice, even layer.

And just a little bit of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, sprinkled right over the sugar.

Mmm.

Perfect!

Now, I'm going to layer the peaches in.

This is going to be the presentation.

When we're done baking, we're going to flip the tart over.

How we've arranged the peaches is how they're going to look on top of the tart.

So, I'm going to start by arranging them cut-side down in a nice, pretty, circular pattern.

So take the big peaches and put them around the edges and snuggle them up real tight because they shrink in the oven.

And then, we're going to fit the rest of the peaches right in the center.

Fitting them all in is the name of the game.

Alright.

So this is ready for the stovetop.

We're going to cook it over high heat for about 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves, some peach juices come out, and they start to caramelize.

♪♪ Alright, the juices have come out, the sugar has caramelized with the butter, and it has that lovely amber color.

It's time to add the crust.

Now, this crust is nice and firm and we're just going to place it on top and then, just so we get a nice, crackly crust.

I'm going to brush the pastry with a little bit of water.

That water's just a glue for some sugar.

2 tablespoons of sugar sprinkled over the top.

Into a 400° oven this goes, for about half an hour, until that top crust is nice and golden.

♪♪ Oh, it's beautiful!

The top is a nice, even, golden brown, and that sugar has made a good crackle crust.

Alright, so we're going to let this rest for 20 minutes before we unmold it.

So this tart has cooled a bit and now is the ingenious part of this recipe because, as I said earlier, when you bake with peaches, you never know exactly how much juice they hold inside, until they're cooked.

So this is how we can thicken up some of that peach juice, so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

What you want to do is you want to take a plate, put it on top, and that's just going to hold the crust in place.

Then, you're going to tip it on its side and pour out any of the excess juices.

Sometimes you get a lot of juice, sometimes you don't get much at all.

And, if you do it and you don't have any juice, then you can just skip this whole step.

Now, we're going to unmold the tart.

So what I'm going to do is shake the pan, so all the peaches get back in their place.

We're going to flip it over.

Hoo-hoo!

Now, you can see it is still super hot, so, I'm just going to slide this onto a wire rack, nice and gently.

That way, it can cool completely.

And then, we have all these juices that have a ton of flavor in them.

They're peaches and butter and sugar.

We're going to add them right back to the skillet.

And, you know, since we have it in the skillet, it's another opportunity to add a little bit more flavor, so I have some bourbon here.

Just 1 tablespoon, maybe.

Meh, just a little extra for good luck.

Back on the stove this goes, just two to three minutes, until it's thick and bubbling and it just starts to smoke and it's syrupy-looking.

Alright.

It's been just a couple of minutes and you can see how much thicker this has gotten.

We're just going to put it in a bowl here and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

And, as it cools, it's going to get a consistency very similar to honey.

Now, I'm just going to take that juice reduction and brush it back over the peaches for that added hit of flavor.

That should do it.

Now, this tart is still very warm and I can't serve it, yet.

We have to let it cool for another 20 minutes before we can dive in.

So, this peach tart has been cooling for 20 minutes.

Now, to serve this beauty, I'm going to slide it right off the wire rack.

Oh, and you can hear that crust still has some crunch to it.

I really had to work the knife through it.

Now, you could serve this with ice cream, but I much prefer to serve it with something less sweet, like a plain whipped cream, just to offset the sweetness and the tartness of the peaches.

Mmm!

I love how it's not too sweet.

It's got the butter pastry and then, it's just all about the peaches.

Mmm!

If you're going to bake with peaches, this is the dessert to make.

So, again, the three keys to making a perfect peach tart Tatin is to make your own all-butter crust; use super firm peaches; and, last, but not least, pour off the peach juices, reduce them with a little bourbon, and brush them back over the tart before serving.

From "America's Test Kitchen at Home," a lovely recipe for peach tart Tatin.

♪♪ -I will welcome any pie or tart with open arms, but, make no mistake -- I am solidly on Team Cake.

Regardless of the flavor, the size, or the shape, I want to have the right cake pan for any recipe.

Classic layer cakes require a 9-inch round cake pan and this is our winner.

This is the Nordic Ware Naturals nonstick 9-inch round cake pan.

It's about $14.50.

And it baked really level, tall, beautiful cake layers in test after test.

Now, if you're a cheesecake lover or a mousse cake lover, you can't be without a springform pan.

That has two pieces.

It's got a base right here and this collar that latches onto the base and comes off and that allows you to unmold the delicate cake upright.

Our favorite one is the Nordic Ware leakproof 9-inch springform pan.

It's about $15 and it made really beautiful cheesecakes.

For snack cakes or brownies or bars, you're going to have to have a 9x13-inch pan.

Our favorite is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch nonstick rectangular cake pan, 9x13 size.

It's about $33 and it made pro-level-looking snack cakes and brownies.

If you're making a pound cake or a quick bread or maybe a white sandwich loaf, you're going to have to have a loaf pan.

Tested those, too, of course, and this is our favorite.

This is the USA PAN loaf pan, in the one-pound volume.

It's about $15.

And it made really nice, high, beautiful pound cakes and loaves of bread, with good, squared-off corners.

One thing I do want to mention, though, is that the pan has seams right in the corners, from the way it's manufactured.

Those can catch crumbs, so, when you clean this pan, make sure to be careful and get all those crumbs out.

Now, we come to my favorite in the lineup.

This is the Bundt pan.

Who doesn't love a Bundt?

This is the Nordic Ware Anniversary nonstick Bundt pan.

It's about $31.

And, of all the Bundt pans we tested, this had the deepest, most distinct ridges inside the pan.

It also had these handles, which made it easy to turn the pan over and unmold the cake.

And look at what this thing does.

Look at the eye-catching ridges on this Bundt cake.

It's gorgeous.

And it is definitely the Bundt to beat.

So, with this lineup of pans, you can challenge me for the title of captain on Team Cake.

♪♪ -Cakes don't have to be a grand affair to make a real big first impression and I'm going to show you the tiniest little cakes that you are going to love.

They're called financiers and they come from France.

They're flavored with toasty almonds and browned butter.

They're just perfection and they're really easy to make.

So, I mentioned almond is a main ingredient and we're using almond flour, here.

This is just a really superfine almond flour.

You don't want to grind the almonds yourself.

It's really hard to get it this fine.

So I need to weigh out 3 ounces.

Next up, we need a little bit of sugar.

It's not just about giving sweetness to the cakes.

It's also about giving the right texture.

It's going to add some really good moisture inside the cake, but, on the outside, it gets almost crispy and crackly with a sugar coating.

I'm going to add 4 ounces of sugar here.

So a little bit more sugar than almond flour.

Alright.

Now, we do need a little bit of flour.

I've got all-purpose flour here.

I'm going to add 2 tablespoons to our bowl.

And the flour is just there for structure.

And then, finally, a little bit of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of table salt.

So, I'm done with the scale, at this point.

I just want to whisk these ingredients, especially that almond flour.

It tends to be a little bit lumpy.

Put this aside for just a moment.

So, now, we're going to brown some butter.

I need 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter here.

I'm going to add it to the skillet and we're going to melt this over medium high heat, so the milk solids that are in the butter are going to start to toast.

You always want to keep an eye on this because it can go from a nutty brown to burnt and you don't want that.

May take anywhere between one to three minutes.

You may want to go with a little bit of a lower temp than medium high, but what's most important is, once that butter starts to melt, you just start to swirl the pan, just like this.

Oh, you can see that toasty bottom, there.

Those are all those milk solids.

It's a beautiful aroma.

I'd say we are done there.

We're going to transfer this mixture to a heatproof bowl.

I'm going to set that aside to cool for just a moment, while we work on our eggs.

Now, we're using three eggs, here, but we only want to use the whites.

And I want to measure 1/3 cup of whites for our mixture.

That's more important than using three whole egg whites, because, sometimes, it'll measure more than 1/3 cup and 1/3 cup is the precise amount.

Just going to start separating these.

And we're not whipping these egg whites.

So, if a tiny bit of yolk gets in there, I won't tell on you.

Nailed it.

Alright, so, now, let's mix the egg whites into our dry mixture and use a spatula to mix this about.

It's almost like almond macaroons and it does have almost that texture inside.

And, since there's very little flour, you really don't have to worry about overworking this at all.

Okay, so, now, when it gets to a paste, it almost looks like a marzipan.

Just going to mash the rubber spatula against the sides of the bowl, just to make sure that I'm getting any lumps out.

Alright.

This looks nice and smooth.

So, now, we can add our melted butter.

I'm adding some of those little brown flecks, too.

You can keep those behind, if you like.

I love the way that they look.

So we're just mixing that browned butter right in there.

Ugh!

Alright.

It's all well-mixed.

So financiers are usually baked in these little, rectangular tins, one at a time.

Most people don't have them at home, but they're said to look like little gold ingots when they are turned out.

I don't have a bunch of little ingot pans at home, so I'm going to use a mini muffin pan.

This is a nonstick mini muffin pan.

But we're also going to ensure that these cakes come out by spraying this with some baking spray with flour.

And that's also going to help to brown the cakes evenly, but also, it'll prevent any domed top.

Here's how that works.

A mini muffin pan greased with regular cooking spray will help the financiers come out easily, but the oil in the spray also helps to conduct heat from the pan to the edges of the cakes.

The edges cook and set quickly, but the middle, which is still uncooked and expanding, rises as it bakes, so that a dome shape is formed.

Now, unlike cooking spray, baking spray contains both oil and flour.

When we use baking spray to grease the pan, the particles of flour create a tiny space between the pan and the batter.

While the cakes bake in the oven, the space insulates the edges of the cakes from the heat, so they don't set as fast.

As a result, the whole financier rises together and the top comes out perfectly level.

Alright.

And, now, we're going to portion out our financiers.

I'm using a portion scoop here.

You want to use the smallest you can find.

We're only going to fill these halfway full.

And, now, I want to talk a little bit about extra things that you can put in financiers.

The brown butter and the almond is the classic, but they can be really dolled up a little bit, so I've got a few options here.

First of all, toasted almonds.

Just toasted them in the skillet for a few minutes, until they were slightly colored.

It's up to you if you want to put three or four, two.

These are your financiers.

Next up, chocolate chunks.

1/2-inch chocolate chunks.

This is dark chocolate.

Same thing -- just going to add it right to the center.

And plums.

You can use just about any kind of fruit you want.

Berries work beautifully.

Raspberries are gorgeous.

Little, baby plum wedges.

Tiny, little wedges, here.

And this last six, I'm leaving plain because, really, on their own, they're just spectacular as they are.

So these are going to go into a 375° oven for 14 minutes.

I'm going to go in and I'll rotate the pan halfway through baking, to make sure they're cooking evenly.

♪♪ Oh, they look so cute.

Look at these.

They're beautiful and they're nice and flat.

But I do want to get them out of the pan right away, so, I'm going to put a wire rack on top.

Two towels to grab these.

And I'm going to quickly invert this.

Now, let's see.

They all come away?

Oh, I love it when that happens.

And, now, I'm just going to flip these over.

Look how sweet these are.

Beautiful browned crust.

That almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

These have to cool completely a good 20 minutes because, as they cool, the sugar, which is still a little soft and malleable, it'll start to harden and this crust will become even more crisp and crackly.

♪♪ Aren't they adorable?

I mean, they're the cutest little baby cakes you've ever seen.

Sometimes I'll put them out with a bunch of other petit fours.

They're great after a dinner, with a cup of coffee.

So, I'm going to start off with this little almond one here.

Mmm!

The exterior is so toasty.

It's got a nice, little crackle to it.

But the interior is still nice and soft.

It has a little bit of resistance to it.

I kind of think of the inside as almost being like a marzipan.

This little plum one is calling my name.

If you want to make these financiers at home, remember these keys -- use the right ratio of egg whites to sugar, spray the pan with baking spray, and cool the cakes completely to create a crackly crust.

So, from "America's Test Kitchen at Home," the sweetest little baby cakes you ever did see -- financiers.

Ooh, chocolate.

I haven't had one of those yet.

♪♪ -Thanks for watching.

You can get all of the recipes from this season, along with our product reviews and more at our website -- americastestkitchen.com/tv.