What’s that, you ask? A galette? Pronounced gal-LET. It’s a French term with more than one meaning (it could contain a savory filling, or be a buckwheat crepe, actually), but in this case it’s just a rustic piecrust, not necessarily housed in a pie tin, but merely placed on a sheet and the filling placed in the center with the crust pulled up loosely around the edges.
Now, it’s confession time here. I’ve never been very good at pie crusts. I’m still not. Even by my mother’s side, I couldn’t seem to wield the right kind of pressure on the rolling pin to make the perfectly flaky crusts my mother would turn out with Crisco and ice water. And this time, I forgot to read the instructions at a critical point. Read on. Part of the crust was torn and a good part of the juice seeped out before I’d even put it in the oven). At the point when the crust cracked and the juice began to ooze, I had a choice. I could have started over, but the fruit was already IN the crust, for goodness’ sake. How could I? So, I just kept moving it on over to the paella pan I used (good thing there were edges, since that sugary ooze oozed some more as it baked).
The verdict? OMGosh. It was scrumptious. Absolutely scrumptious. Even with the ooze in the pan. Even with the filling having leaked out all of its juice (the fruit seemed to give up some more, since it was certainly moist). Even with the mess it left in the pan.
So, let me tell you all about this galette. What got me started was reading Rose Levy Beranbaum’s blog last week about her peach galette. I saw the photo of it (and all the lovely stages she went through to get it perfect – she is a far better crust-maker than I am) and since I had four gorgeously ripe peaches awaiting something, I decided to make this. Now Rose is a paramount baker. She’s written several cookbooks, so I’ve learned to trust her.
You could use any old pie crust for this, I suppose, but Rose used her cream cheese one. Rose’s Perfect Flaky & Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust. Go there and you can see all the lovely photos, and the recipe appearing in strict columns by ounces and grams. With a very long bit of instruction.
First you freeze the dry ingredients (yes, really). And you freeze the butter in small cubes (yes, really). When they combine in the food processor it comes together nicely, but in crumbles. At least I was doing well up to that point. You put the dough into a plastic bag, seal it, then kind of mash it together into a disc. That gets refrigerated for awhile. Okay so far. Now came my test of skill. Ideally you have a large round pastry cloth you use to roll out such pastry. I don’t. So I used the granite countertop instead, dusted with ample flour. I rolled, and turned, sprinkled more flour, etc. You know, the usual drill. I thought I was doing fine. Was quite pleased with myself. (Reminder to self: don’t get cocky!)
Meanwhile you’ve peeled and sliced the peaches and allowed them to drain (juice saved) in a colander with the sugar and lemon juice. All that juice gets reduced by half. I didn’t have as much juice as Rose indicated I would, but I carefully simmered it until it was reduced and poured it into the peaches and poured it onto the nearly completed piecrust. Quick-like you bring the edges up around the fruit and try to sort-of pleat them into nice looking folds if you can. My problem was I was supposed to put the crust into the tin BEFORE I added the filling. My usual difficulty – I didn’t read the recipe at that point. As I mentioned, I’d decided to use my big paella pan (she calls for a pizza pan with sides), knowing that I might have a peach-leak. I used flour-sprinkled spatulas to try to lift. Next time I’ll do it right.
Rose recommends chilling the completed pastry for half an hour before baking, but since I already had an oozy mess, I decided to go ahead and bake it then and there. It took exactly 40 minutes, as her recipe indicated. I let it cool for about 30 minutes and served us a slice, with some vanilla ice cream. There was nothing but quiet as we both savored the bites. Absolutely stupendous. The cream cheese pie crust is flakier. more tender. More tasty. And it was not soggy one bit, either, despite my peach-leaks. Even the next DAY, and the day after that, the bottom crust was still flaky and tender. No sogginess. So, I’d highly recommend this recipe. I will say, I made a regular recipe of the dough (she recommends a 1 ½ times recipe for 3 pounds of peaches. I had 2 ¼ pounds of peaches, so thought the single recipe would work. It did, and I didn’t roll the pastry as thin as Rose did, I don’t believe. Have peaches? Make galette! And yes, I’ll be making this again, but carefully read the instructions first!
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Peach Galette
Recipe: Rose Levy Beranbaum, author, blogger
Serving: 8
ROSE’S CREAM CHEESE PASTRY:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces cream cheese — chilled
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
PEACH FILLING:
2 pounds peaches — ripe, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract — optional
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. CREAM CHEESE PASTRY: Cut the butter into small (about 3/4-inch) cubes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it until frozen solid, at least 30 minutes.
2. Place the flour, salt and baking powder in a reclosable gallon-size freezer bag and freeze it for at least 30 minutes. Place the flour mixture in a food processor with metal blades and process for a few seconds to combine. Set the bag aside. Cut the cream cheese into 3 or 4 pieces and add it to the flour. Process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the frozen butter cubes and pulse until none of the butter is larger than the size of peas. (Toss with a fork to see it better.) Remove the cover and add the water and vinegar. Pulse until most of the butter is reduced to the size of small peas. The mixture will be in particles and will not hold together. Spoon it into the plastic bag. Holding either side of the bag opening, alternate using the heel of your hand and your knuckles to knead and press the mixture, from the outside of the bag, until it holds together in one piece and feels slightly stretchy when pulled. Wrap the dough, flatten it into a disc, and refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes.
3. PEACH FILLING: Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar and pinch of salt and toss them gently to mix evenly. Allow them to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the peaches to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will release about 1 cup cup of juice.
4. In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface) over medium high heat, boil down this liquid together with the butter to about 2/3 cup or until syrupy and lightly caramelized. The exact amount will depend on how much juice the peaches release which you will be reducing by about half. Swirl but do not stir it. (Alternatively, spray a 4-cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid and butter and boil it in the microwave, about 12 to 18 minutes on high—watch carefully as microwaves vary). Transfer the peaches to a bowl, pour the syrup over them, and toss gently. (Do not be concerned if the liquid hardens on contact with the peaches; it will dissolve during baking.) Add the cornstarch and almond extract and toss gently until all traces of it have disappeared.
5. GALETTE: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes until it is soft enough to roll. On a well-floured pastry cloth roll the crust into an 18-20-inch diameter circle. Fold it in quarters and transfer it to a 14 to 16 inch pizza pan, allowing the border to overlap the pan. Scrape the peach mixture into the pastry and carefully drape the border over the fruit, allowing it to pleat as evenly as possible. It will leave a small area in the center exposed. Cover the galette loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for one hour before baking. This will maintain flakiness.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°/200°C. at least 20 minutes before baking time. Set the oven rack at lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place a large piece of greased foil on top of the stone to catch any juices.
7. For a delightfully crunchy crust, spritz or brush the pastry all over with water and sprinkle with superfine sugar. Set the pan directly on the foil topped baking stone and bake 40-45 minutes until the juices bubble thickly in the center opening and the peaches feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small sharp knife is inserted. Rotate the pan half way through the baking time. If it starts to over-brown, cover loosely with foil. Cool the galette on a rack for about 3 hours until warm or room temperature before cutting. Serve with ice cream or heavy cream.
Per Serving: 324 Calories; 18g Fat (48.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 49mg Cholesterol; 92mg Sodium.
jancd
said on September 1st, 2008:
I’m not very good at making crusts either, but I made some delicious biscuits this morning from scratch, so I’m not going to give up on crusts either. This peach galette looks delicious and I have everything needed so I might as well go make it right now. Thanks for the recipe. Jan
Hope you enjoy it every bit as much as we did. As I look at the photograph, now that the galette is long gone (at least a week ago) I want a slice. . . . Carolyn
jancd
said on September 2nd, 2008:
I made the galette this morning and it did turn out beautifully. The juice of mine kinda leaked out, too, but the crust was perfect. I will use this crust recipe on other pies as well, so I am pleased that you provided me with this recipe. My husband was so happy when he walked into the kitchen for lunch–the smell was delightful. Thanks again.