18 June 2026

Rustic Fruit Tart

WRITER: JAZ MATHISEN

PHOTOGRAPHER: CHLÖE LODGE & JAZ MATHISEN

Kāuta Taiwhenua. Provincial Kitchen.

“In my eyes, a seasonal fruit tart is hard to beat. This tart is the perfect way to use up any of the final sun-ripened autumn fruit.”

This is the first of three recipes Jaz Mathisen shared with us from her cookbook, A Year at Awakino Station.

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
Makes 1 tart

INGREDIENTS

Flaky Pastry
200 grams (7 ounces) plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
150 grams (5½ ounces) cold butter
4–6 tablespoons cold water

Tart
700 grams (1 pound 9 ounces) ripe fruit,
about 4–5 large red peaches, plums,
apples or rhubarb stalks
2 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons sweet jam or jelly
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
(optional but recommended for an
extra treat)

METHOD

For the pastry, weigh the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Grate over the butter and use a knife to quickly mix the butter into the flour. Sprinkle the water over and continue to bring it together. Use clean hands to form the pastry into a ball. You will need to be firm with your hands here and try to not add extra water as this will toughen the pastry. Place the pastry in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.

Slice the fruit into even thin slices, place in a bowl with the caster sugar and toss to coat. Sit for 15 minutes to allow the fruit to release some of its juices.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Remove the pastry from the fridge, dust a baking tray with a little flour or line with baking paper, and on the tray, roll the pastry into a circle about 30 centimetres (12 inches) in diameter.

Spread the jam evenly over the pastry and arrange the fruit, leaving a 4-centimetre (1½-inch) border. Sprinkle the chocolate over, then fold the pastry up and over the fruit near the edge. Be careful not to tear the pastry or the fruit juices will leak during baking.

Place the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes
I often make this using preserved fruit. If using preserved fruit, there is no need to use sugar.

Use a jam that will tie in well with the fruit flavours: raspberry or plum jam goes nicely with peaches and plums, quince jelly or blackberry jam is delicious with apples, and apricot jam paired with halved apricots makes for an irresistible apricot tart.

Edited extract and recipes from A Year at Awakino Station by Jaz Mathisen, photography by Chlöe Lodge & Jaz Mathisen. Published by Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand, 2026. Hardback, $45.

This June, every new two-year subscription to Shepherdess magazine comes with a beautiful utensil trio from The Waste Free Home – including a wooden spoon, holed spoon and spurtle carved from black walnut – along with a copy of Jaz Mathisen’s cookbook, A Year at Awakino Station. Subscribe below.

This extract featured in our Takurua Winter Edition 2026.