Fresh, peak-of-the-season, summer fruit nestled in sweet, almond-scented pastry. Is there anything better? For tips on how to pick perfect peaches, check out this post.
Makes 8 individual tarts
- FOR THE CRUST
- About 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- FOR THE GALETTES
- 1/4 cup sugar, divided (see notes below)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 pounds firm-ripe peaches (about 8 small or 6 medium), pitted and thinly sliced (see notes below)
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
To make the crust, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and the almond extract and pulse until moist clumps form when the dough is pinched (add more water as needed). Turn the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a 3/4-inch-thick disk, wrap it in plastic, and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes. (You can make the dough in advance, storing it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to several months. If frozen, defrost in the refrigerator before proceeding.)
To make the galettes, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each disk into a 6-inch round. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets (it's okay if they overlap a bit—forming the galettes will eventually fix that). In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the flour. Spoon the mixture evenly onto the rounds, spreading it evenly and leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Arrange the fruit on top of the sugar mixture. Working one round at a time, fold up the edges of the dough to form a rough lip around the fruit, crimping every inch or so. Place a few almonds in the center of each galette. Brush the edges of the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Bake until the crusts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.
NOTES For pluot galettes, use 8 large pluots.
For the galettes in the photograph, I used coarse decorators sugar for the last tablespoon of sugar sprinkled over the dough. Turbinado or raw sugar would be nice as well.
