Peach Galette

“The art of eating the Perfect Peach: First raise to the mouth and the aroma enchants, anticipation is stirred.  Insert in mouth and bite.  Juices splash and squirt and you involuntarily lean over as the syrup drips down your cheeks and dangles on your chin.  Flavors explode and the nectar dances across the taste buds.  You slowly swallow and the aftertaste lingers and stays.  Smack your lips and suck slightly on your tongue and a different wave of flavor delights.  Memory is created.  You lick your lips and pause before another bite, savoring the moment–slowly.”

This is the introduction to my newest cookbook,  “The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm”.  How could you NOT want to read the “rest of the story” after that kind of intro? lol  Seriously, though, this book is full of great family stories and beautiful photographs of delicious peach recipes from beverages to savory dishes to the beloved peach dessert.

The galette is my alternative to a peach pie.  I love how rustic and simple it is.  It’s the perfect ending to a meal…not too sweet, a delicious golden crust and mouth watering summer peaches bursting with flavor! Top off a slice with either a dollop of ice cream or my Kahlúa Whipped Cream! (see Liz’s Tidbits at bottom.)

Enjoy!

 

Peach Galette w/Kahlua Whipped Cream

adapted from: The Perfect Peach (Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm)

Pastry:

• ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for working with the dough
• 6 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 large egg
• 1 ½ teaspoons milk
• 1 tablespoon beaten egg or heavy cream
• turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Filling:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour or tapioca flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6-8 soft peaches (with give) peeled, halved, pitted and cut into ¼ to ½ inch-thick wedges

Preparation:

To make the pastry, combine the flours, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until blended.  Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until it looks like coarse sand. (Alternatively, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, and work the mixture with a pastry blender until it has a sand-like texture.)  In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the 1 egg and the milk until blended, pour into the food processor or bowl all at once and pulse or gently mix by hand until the dough forms a rough clump.  Do not overwork the dough to avoid toughness.

Lightly flour a work surface.  Transfer the dough to the floured surface, form it into a ball, then flatten into a disk 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.  Don’t knead it! Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 ½ – 2 hours or for up to 1 day.

When the dough is well chilled, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm at room temperature for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the filling.  In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and cinnamon, mixing well.  Place the peaches in a bowl, sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top, and toss gently.  (If the peaches are tart, you may want to add a little more sugar.)

Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface, and dust with flour.  Place the dough on the floured parchment, and roll it out into a round about 11 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.  Transfer the pastry with the parchment to a rimmed  or rimless baking sheet large enough to accommodate the  pastry round comfortably.  Starting 1 – 1½ inches from the edge of the round, arrange the peach wedges in a single layer in concentric circles, continuing until you reach the center of the round.  Fold the outer edges of the pastry over the peaches, creating overlapping folds as you work around the perimeter.  If your peaches are extra juicy, leave the extra juice in the bowl so that the filling does not overflow in the oven.  Brush the pastry border with 1 tablespoon beaten egg and then sprinkle lightly with the turbinado sugar.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.  If your galette has a lot of juice, you may want to place a second pan on the lowest rack in the oven under the baking sheet to catch any juices that overflow.

Let the galette cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack.  Cut into wedges to serve…can top with either ice cream or my favorite whipped cream (see below!)

Liz’s Tidbits:

Kahlúa Flavored Whipped Cream

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 T Kahlúa

Chill bowl and utensils. Whip cream and sugar until soft peaks form.  Add Kahlúa and combine.