STONE FRUIT GALETTE, NEVER ENOUGH OF A GOOD THING

Stone Fruit Galette Photo by Alice Gao

Making my way through the farmers’ market in August puts me into stone-fruit sensory overload on (healthy) par with my annual pre-Halloween trip to Economy Candy. Of the peach variety, there are Saturn, yellow, white and donut peaches (also yellow and white). Nectarines are yellow and white as well. Plums are even more diverse: there’s Damson, Greengage, Mirabelle, Golden Sugar, Yellow Shiro, Italian prune plums, Metlley and Santa Rosa. Then there are apricots, and apricot-plum hybrids: pluots, plumcots and apriums—each one more delicious than the next.

Peaches and apricots      Photo by Grace Parisi

Peaches and nectarines are easily my favorite for eating out of hand, but unfortunately, I must wait until I get home to peel them first or cook them. A fairly recent development, relatively speaking, I developed a sensitivity to stone fruit about 10 or so years ago which I noticed after eating a few handfuls of cherries. My lips, mouth and throat had become terribly itchy. Initially, I thought maybe it was a reaction to pesticides but the cherries were organic so that theory was out, especially since I had the same reaction the following week to a different batch. Sadly, peaches and nectarines were soon to follow. Oddly, plums are fine, but of course, they’re not my favorites.

So, what’s an itchy-palette/stuffy-sinus-suffering stone-fruit fanatic to do if she’s too lazy to peel? Bake them into a shatteringly crispy, jammy-fruit-juicy galette.:  Peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots, with just a bit of sugar and flour,  unpeeled and piled high in a sturdy yet flaky all-butter pastry—it really doesn’t get better than that.

Rolling pastry for Stone Fruit Galette Photo by Alice Gao

Filling pastry for Stone Fruit Galette Photo by Alice Gao

Brushing  with egg wash  Photo by Alice Gao

Garnished and ready for the oven Photo by Alice Gao

Glazing the fruit Photo by Alice Gao

Stone Fruit Galette, cooling on a rack Photo by Alice Gao

Check out the interview on Serious Eats, shot by the lovely Alice Gao.

STONE FRUIT GALETTE

Active: 40 minutes Total: 2 hrs plus cooling

8 to 10 Servings

Pastry

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

Filling

3 pounds ripe stone fruit, such as peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, pitted and cut into wedges

½ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Garnish

1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water

¼ cup sliced natural almonds

Sugar for sprinkling

1. Make the pastry: in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 table knives, cut the butter into the flour until it is the size of small peas. Add the ice water and, using a rubber spatula, stir until the flour is moistened. Add another tablespoon of ice water if the dough is too crumbly to hold together. Scrape the dough onto a work surface and gently knead it 2 or 3 times, just to hold together. Flatten the dough into an 8-inch disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate it until firm, about 30 minutes. (see *Note) 
2. Preheat the oven to 375° and set a rack in the lower third. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place the pastry dough on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, gently pound to flatten it slightly. Roll the pastry to a 15-inch circle, about ¼-inch thick and slide it onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet, patching any tears. Refrigerate the pastry for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling: in a large bowl, combine the fruit with the sugar and salt. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour in the center of the pastry. Mound the fruit and juices in the center of the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold up the sides, crimping the dough to partially encase the fruit.
4. Garnish and bake the galette: Brush the border with the egg yolk mixture, sprinkle with the almonds and sugar and bake for about 70 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender and bubbling. Cover loosely with foil if the top darkens too quickly. Rinse out the pastry brush and brush the cooked fruit with some of the juices to moisten. Let cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

*Note—the pastry can be made in a food processor:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse in 1 second bursts 5 times. The butter should be the size of small peas. Lift the lid, pour in the water and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until the dough is moistened, but doesn’t form a ball. Turn the crumbs onto a work surface,  and gather into a ball.

Advertisement