In my opinion there isn’t anything that celebrates the glory of summer fruit like a peach pie. Sweet, luscious peaches, the kind that are so full of juice it runs down your arm when you are eating one, have always been my favorite, and I’ve been known to have a big slice, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, for breakfast. For the next few weeks the farmers’ market will have an abundance of fruit and if I want to make several peach pies I better get started now.
I always make the same peach pie recipe that you can find HERE, but I wanted to try something a little different and found this wonderful recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum on her blog, Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum. If you love to bake from scratch this is a site you don’t want to miss. Wonderful things happen when I start to make peach pie ~ making a rich, flaky crust is a challenge and the feel of the dough in my hands reminds me of helping my grandmother make pies many years ago. There is something so basic about making a pie ~ rolling out crust, peeling fruit, assembling and baking, and the heavenly smells that have your mouth watering even before it comes out of the oven. It’s good for the soul.
I thought that Rose’s Peach Galette would be a nice change from my usual pie – I like her ratio of filling to crust – and I was eager to try her FAVORITE FLAKY AND TENDER PIE CRUST recipe because of the addition of cream cheese and the fact that it can be successfully rolled out into a thin sheet. My standby crust calls for vinegar and an egg and can be a little difficult to handle when rolled out too thin.
Rose’s recipe calls for 3 pounds of peaches (about 9), peeled and sliced. If you like to snack on them while you are peeling and slicing add another peach or two. The peaches I bought at the market on Saturday (Sweet Sue’s) were cling peaches (fruit stuck to the pit) and they were difficult to peel so I dropped them into a pot of simmering water for a few minutes and the skins slid right off. The slices aren’t pretty when you have to cut them off the pit, but it doesn’t matter because they cook down anyway.
After the peaches are mixed with sugar and allowed to rest the resulting juices are mixed with butter and boiled down to a syrupy consistency. I was so tempted to spoon a little on a scoop of ice cream but didn’t want the pie to be dry so I resisted. Next time I’ll plan ahead.
Rose’s pie dough went together in a minute in the food processor and was so easy to handle. For this galette I made 1.5 times the original pie crust recipe and it was just the right amount for an 18-inch galette. And I substituted King Arthur Pastry Flour in the dough because I just bought some and have never tried it. Excellent…I recommend it.
I was surprised that I could roll out this rich dough into such a thin crust. I ran out of room on my butcher block island and next time will use my extra wide peninsula as a rolling surface. This crust measured 22-inches and I would have liked to make it a little thinner, say around 24-inches.
I folded the rolled out dough into fourths and put it on a pizza pan. The peaches were added and then the dough was folded back over the fruit. Next time I will dot the top of the fruit with a few bits of butter for a little added richness. The result was thin, flaky layers of pastry over a perfectly sweetened and thickened fruit filling. In the past I have put a galette directly onto my heated pizza stone as Rose suggests, but the fruit was extra juicy and it ran out onto the stone and all over the bottom of my oven so I don’t recommend that technique unless you want to take the chance of a big, messy cleanup.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a little sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I like mine for breakfast. Fruit and dairy are appropriate breakfast foods so I’ve been told.
- Flaky cream cheese pie crust for a 2 crust 9-inch pie
- 3 pounds ripe peaches (about 9 medium to equal 6-1/2 cups) peeled, pitted and sliced about ¼-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch (I used 1 tablespoon King Arthur's instant clearjel powder)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.
- Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle them with 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 1½ hours. Transfer the peaches to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will release at least 1 cup up to 1⅓ cups of juice.
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, boil down this liquid together with the butter to about ⅔ 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.
- 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 a 24-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 to chill. This will maintain flakiness.
- Preheat the oven to 400° 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 to catch any juices.
- 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 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.
- Rose's Pointers for Success:
- The peaches should be ripe and yield slightly to pressure but firm enough to maintain their texture when baked. If squishy, they lose their character.
- To peel peaches, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the peaches and turn off the heat. Allow them to sit for 1 minute. Drain at once and rinse with cold water or place in a bowl of ice water. If the peaches are ripe, the peels will slip off easily.
- As you slice the peaches, toss them occasionally to coat with sugar mixture.
- Be sure to put a sheet of foil under the pie pan as there is always a little spill over with this much fruit.
- For a truly crisp bottom crust, this juicy galette works well baked directly on the floor of the oven for the first 30 minutes. Then raise it to a rack in the lower part of the oven.
This looks awesome Cathy
Larry recently posted..Saturday Humor – Senior Moments
I am anxious to try that dough..what a beauty your galette w/ the coarse sanding sugar:)
Monique recently posted..Sand Dollar Cookies~
This looks absolutely gorgeous Cathy! I’ve bookmarked the recipe and can’t wait to try that pie crust-enjoy:@)
Cathy, that looks wonderful. My peach dessert for the weekend is already eaten. Next time I will also try a crust that uses vinegar. My friend Karen even mentioned using Vodka instead of water.
Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies recently posted..Peach Tart with Thyme Sugar
Cathy,
You are so right. Love peach desserts in the summer. This looks so good. Thank you for sharing.
Pat
Pat recently posted..Pork Medallions with Sage and Mustard Sauce
Oh my gosh, Cathy, you read my mind! I have about 5 recipes printed off for a fresh peach galette! I’m now printing off your recipe to add to my collection from which I’m going to do my best to follow in your footsteps to create with all of the peaches that we have in S.C. right now. I can just smell the aroma as it bakes and fresh out of the oven! YUM!
PS: I’m now also on WordPress (address on my Blogger blog), but don’t update it as often as my Blogger blog.
Be well!
Roz recently posted..Rustic Italian Tomato Pie
What a lovely sounding galette, I absolutely can not pass up anything dealing with pie crust and fruit. I’m also going to head on over to Rose’s site, if you recommend the blog then I’m in! 🙂
Jess Wakasugi {Life’s Simple Measures} recently posted..Blueberry Pie Bars
Perfect name for this galette. It does look heavenly!
I think ripe peaches in the summer are my favorite fruit of all time. And this galette is on my short to-do list – as soon as I get more peaches – just finished the last one in a sorbet tonight.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..Grilled Veggies
Hi there .. peaches are the perfect summer time treat and anything with peach is delish! Thank you for sharing this recipe . Visiting from Seasonal Sundays… HHL
High Heeled Life recently posted..After the Rain…in the garden
Oh Cathy… it does indeed look heavenly! Beautiful too.
Pam recently posted..Shrimp Scampi
This looks wonderful. The essence of summer!
– The Tablescaper
Hi Cathy,
That looks so yummy! My next door neighbor has been bringing us gorgeous peaches from her trees. I so miss our peach tree and other summer fruit trees that we took out for our sport court a few years back. We had two different varieties of peach. I really need to make a pie or try your recipe!! I am thinking perhaps some nice homemade vanilla ice cream too!
XO Kris
The galette does look and sound heavenly, Cathy! I have made a dough with cream cheese and I liked the way it handled. I will be checking out Rose’s recipe. I’d be having a piece of that wonderful pastry for breakfast, too!!!
Kitty recently posted..Herbed Fish in Parchment on the Grill
That looks heavenly indeed! I love the crispy thin crust very much, let’s see if peaches will be sold in the coming weeks! Would love to try this too!
Jeannie recently posted..Bake Along #29 – Theme Chicken Pie
This is such a winning combination of flaky pastry and sweet peaches.
bellini recently posted..I Danced the Dance and Celebrated with Zucchini Blossom Risotto with Prosecco
This galette looks heavenly!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Bulgur Whole Wheat Bread
Cathy this I have got to try,looks delish,I’m visiting from StoneGable OTMM.
That really IS heavenly, Cathy! I love the rustic aspect and topped with some vanilla bean ice cream, over the top.
Barbara recently posted..Fresh Tomato Clafoutis and the Giveaway Winners
what an amazing looking pastry!
Mmm, this sounds wonderful! I’d like to give that pie crust a try… I love a very thin, flaky crust.
Karen recently posted..Chilaquiles with Red Sauce
Cathy, this sounds absolutely amazing! You make it look so beautiful – can’t wait to try it. Thanks!
Karen@Mignardise recently posted..À Bientôt
Beautiful Cathy! And with that scoop of ice cream on the side … eye..yi..yi yum. Peach pie is my favorite and I appreciate having another recipe for a peach dessert.
That looks and sounds just plain delicious. Now this is the first time I am tempted to try a different crust recipe from the one I usually use. I just saw gorgeous peaches at Costco and didn’t buy them. I imagine they were good, but I have a feeling what I would find at Farmer’s Market would be much, much better. I actually could do this crust with one of the apricot pie fillings I have in the freezer, I bet that would be good too. Oh I do love this time of year for the wonderful fresh produce.
Marilyn recently posted..One Word
This should be on the cover of a magazine! It is just so pretty! Thanks for sharing it at ON THE MENU MONDAY!
Yvonne @ StoneGable recently posted..ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF JULY, 30, 2012
I am so with you! I think peaches and nectarines are divine. This is so gorgeous. I can almost smell the peaches. I grilled nectarines tonight for the first time. Where have I been? What an exquisite flavor from grilling!
Jacqueline recently posted..Fruit Bruschetta
Oh my, it does look heavenly doesn’t it. The peaches this year have been spectacular and I can’t get enough of them.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Salad with Cherries, Goat Cheese and Pistachios
Gallettes are one of my favorite desserts. I cn only wonder why I’ve never made one with peaches. I will now!
I have never made a galette before but this one looks like a must try! I love Rose’s recipes a lot! I have 2 books of her! 🙂
Yum Yum Yum! The peach galette looks sublime here!
Sophie recently posted..A lovely appetizer!
Heavenly indeed! I love The Cake Bible but I have never made one of Rose’s pies! I am dying to try her crust and this galette. While the sweet juicy summer peaches last here. Thanks for sharing the recipe – though I wish you could share the galette!
Jamie recently posted..CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP MAPLE CHALLAH
Oh Cathy…how beautiful. Tillamonk ice cream, I am sure!!
Susan recently posted..Blizzard in August!
It is not for nothing that Rose Levy Beranbaum is known as The Queen of Baking! Every time I have a question, I pull down one of her terrific volumes. This is a fantastic recipe, and your rendition is beautiful. I think I wish we were neighbors! Brava!
Adri recently posted..Stracnar with Sausage and Pepper Ragù – more with a cavarola board
Heavenly is the right word for this Cathy. What a nice dough. Peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits, maybe even my favorite. We’re still getting them from South Carolina and I will continue to eat them as long as they are available.
BTW, I’m so glad I follow Wives with Knives on Facebook, because if I didn’t, I would miss some of your posts. In fact I have. For some reason, I don’t always see them in my list with these new services.
Hope you are having a nice weekend.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..BLT Cornmeal Pancakes – a breakfast twist on a BLT