If you’re not a pie-making pro, consider making a rustic galette, which is just as delicious as pie, but much easier to achieve. This recipe comes from Brian Levy’s book Good & Sweet: A New Way to Bake with Naturally Sweet Ingredients (Avery Books, 2022), and it’s the ideal way to showcase perfectly ripe and juicy peaches. Here’s what Brian says about it:
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“If you’re in the mood for ripe, nectary fruit in a piecrust, but you just don’t have the will to crimp it to visual perfection, a freestyle galette is the way to go. It has all of the flavor and texture of a pie, with added rustic charm and minimal fuss. The folded-over dough around the border allows you to add the complementary color, flavor, and texture of chopped pistachios. You should use perfectly ripe peaches dripping with sweet nectar. They’ll get a boost from the dried apricots and the orange juice.”
Serves 8 to 12
Ingredients
Galette Dough:
- 1 1/3 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 grams) whole wheat flour
- Finely grated zest from ½ orange
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup (60 grams) ice water (plus more, if needed)
Peach Filling:
- 3 1/3 cups (565 grams) peaches, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams), or more, fresh orange juice, divided
- Scant 2 cups (235 grams) unsulfured dried Turkish apricots, chopped
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
For Assembly:
- 1 egg white
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) pistachios, chopped
- Fruit-sweetened apricot jam, such as St. Dalfour or Fior di Frutta, warmed, for glazing
- Whipped cream or ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Make the Galette Dough:
- In a food processor, combine both flours, the orange zest, and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. In a spouted measuring cup, whisk the egg yolk, vinegar, and ice water. Add the liquid mixture to the dough with one hand while pulsing the food processor with the other until the liquid is evenly distributed. Squeeze some of the dough between your fingers. If it holds together nicely, it’s ready; if it’s dry and crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Empty the dough onto a large sheet of parchment, then squeeze it together with both of your palms to form a mass. Wrap it in the parchment, put it in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, toss the peach slices with the almond flour and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the apricots, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of the orange juice by pulsing a few times. Continue to process until the mixture is fairly smooth, scraping down the sides and adding minimal orange juice—1 teaspoon at a time—as necessary to keep the mixture moving in the food processor.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 13 × 18-inch half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
Assemble the galette:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a large round, ⅛ inch thick. There’s no need for it to be neat around the edges; just make sure there are no cracks toward the center that would allow leaking. Place the rolled dough on the prepared baking sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread the apricot puree evenly over the dough, leaving the outer 3 inches bare all around. Pile the prepared peaches on top and spread them in an even layer, again leaving the outer 3 inches of dough bare. Fold the bare edge of the dough over onto the peach filling. Brush the pastry with egg white and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.
- Bake until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool and serve warm or at room temperature with a side of whipped cream or ice cream, if you wish. For glistening fruit, brush the tops of the visible peaches with a thin layer of heated fruit- sweetened apricot jam. Store the galette tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat (and re- crisp the crust), warm the galette in a 375°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Excerpted from Good and Sweet Copyright © 2022 by Brian Levy. Published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.