It was the tail end of summer, and I had just finished my fifth cycle of chemo. One week out of the hospital, and I’d already had my fill of plain food. But my stomach was still sensitive and anything not easy to digest was out the window.
Over time, I’ve found that fruits and carbohydrates are especially desirable the first week after, when cancer patients often battle nausea and a lack of appetite. Yet, munching on toast and rice soup or biting into piece after piece of plain fruit can get…rather boring.
And how I craved sweets.
Oh! Like a demon had crawled into my stomach, it demanded the yummiest and most delectable of all forbidden foods.
That’s when I came up with an easy-to-make nectarine tart! With no sugar and no gluten, it hit all my anti-cancer dietary requirements. It soothed my cravings. It soothed my soul. And best of all, it was so, so easy to put together–and eat!
The Recipe:
Makes 1 small rustic tart
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 gluten-free puff pastry
2 medium-size nectarines
1 tbs cinnamon
Olive oil for brushing
Directions
- Follow the instructions on your puff pastry package. I defrosted mine overnight prior to baking.
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
- While oven is preheating, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and cut nectarines in slice, destoning them in the process.
- Place puff pastry on lined cookie sheet, unrolling it carefully so to not break it.
- In the middle of the pastry sheet, begin placing the nectarines in a circular pattern. Be careful to overlap and cover as many parts of the center as possible.
- Carefully fold or crimp the edges of the tart to cover the outer edge of the nectarines.
- Lightly brush the pastry edges with olive oil. Sprinkle cinnamon on both the crust and nectarines.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. When golden and bubbly, remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying.
Variations include: adding almonds or fresh blueberries to the nectarine filling
Bitesized Life 