Peach Galette

Stone fruit pies and tarts are delicious, but they can also be a lot of work. So, if you'd like the delicious summery taste of a peach pie with far less trouble, say 'hello' to the galette. The galette is a rustic tart that requires no fancy equipment beyond a baking sheet, a piece of parchment paper, and a pastry brush.

This galette makes the most of the peaches that come in mid to late summer. If you're lucky enough to live near an orchard that sells something of the 'haven" variety, please use those (Red Havens, Glo Havens, Hale Havens, to name a few). The crust is so rich it brings to mind shortbread cookies.

Note: This recipe is for one galette, but the dough recipe doubles perfectly well. We usually make a double recipe and freeze half of it for a later date. It will keep tightly wrapped in the freezer for about three months.

 

Ingredients

for dough
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup coarse cornmeal or almond flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
⅓ cup fat-free buttermilk

for filling
4 cups thinly sliced peaches (about 4 large)
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 TBSP flour

1 egg, beaten
3-4 TBSP turbinado sugar

2 TBSP honey thinned with a touch of water

Directions

To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, and salt in a processor; pulse 2-3 times. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the processor running, slowly pour the buttermilk through the chute, processing until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough ball and adhere any remaining pieces of dough to it, then wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, though it will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator. 

Mix brown and white sugars, cinnamon, ginger, and flour in a small bowl. Peel, then thinly slice, peaches. Place in a medium-sized bowl and then sprinkle with vanilla. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the peaches and mix very gently with a large flat spatula or wooden spoon. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes before putting together galette.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Starting at the center of the dough, roll out forming a 14 to 15-inch wide circle. Place the dough with parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lay out the fruit mixture to the center of the dough leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the filling, overlapping where necessary and pressing to adhere the folds. Using the parchment paper to fold the dough and then peeling the paper back to lay flat again is usually easier and neater than trying to pry the dough off the paper and then folding it up.

Beat the egg. Brush dough with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for at least 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack then brush fruit with honey to add shine. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.