She’s the Goose
From the Oven · Summer
Peach Galette
Unpeeled peaches over a hidden layer of ground almonds, folded into a rustic crust and baked until properly browned.
Don’t peel the peaches. The skins soften during baking, add color, and make the galette look much more beautiful and rustic.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3–5 Tbsp ice water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
For the peaches
- 4–5 ripe but still firm peaches, about 1½ pounds
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Pinch of cinnamon
For assembling
- 2 Tbsp finely ground almonds or almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp milk or cream
- Coarse sugar, for finishing
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
Method
- 01
Make the pastry. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until you have an uneven mixture with some pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
Mix the vinegar with 3 tablespoons of ice water. Drizzle it over the flour mixture and gently toss. Add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together when squeezed.
Form into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 02
Prepare the peaches. Cut the peaches into approximately ½-inch wedges. Toss with the brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. Let them stand for about 10 minutes.
- 03
Roll the pastry. Heat the oven to 400°F. Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a rustic 12–13-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the ground almonds over the center of the pastry, leaving about a 2-inch border. This little layer is important — it absorbs some of the peach juices while the galette bakes and helps keep the crust crisp.
- 04
Assemble. Arrange the peaches over the almonds, leaving most of the liquid behind in the bowl. Arrange them in concentric circles, or simply pile them naturally in the center.
Fold the pastry border up and over the peaches, pleating it as you go. Dot the exposed peaches with the tablespoon of butter.
Whisk the egg with the milk or cream. Brush it over the pastry and generously sprinkle the crust with coarse sugar.
- 05
Chill again. Put the assembled galette in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes before baking. This helps the butter firm back up and gives you a flakier, better-defined crust.
- 06
Bake. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the peach juices are bubbling and thickened.
Don’t pull it when the crust is merely pale gold. A galette is much better when the pastry gets properly browned and crisp.
Let cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing so the peach filling has time to settle.
Notes
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. It’s excellent on its own, but for dessert I’d add vanilla bean ice cream or softly whipped cream.
The two little things I’d keep in this recipe are the tiny amount of almond extract and the ground almonds underneath the peaches. Neither announces itself, but together they make the peaches taste more intensely peachy and keep that beautiful bottom crust from getting soaked.
And don’t peel the peaches. The skins soften during baking, add color, and make the galette look much more beautiful and rustic.