Peach Galette

If you've never had a galette, think pie but with much less fuss. I love this tart's rustic asymmetry, and that the focus is on the fresh fruit, left exposed as it should be. Unlike many pies, the fruit in a galette is not simmered or doused in sugar and spices. Here the fruit is the star, so make sure you use the freshest, ripest fruit available. This recipe uses peaches, my current obsession, but it works great with any number of fruits. The pastry recipe is courtesy of Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Peeled

Pitted

Pastry:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 to ½ cup ice water, as needed 
• Parchment paper

Filling:

• 6 large ripe peaches
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• sugar

1 Mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a bowl. Cut in the butter by hand or using a mixer with a paddle attachment, leaving some pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle the ice water over the top by the tablespoon and toss with the flour mixture until you can bring the dough together into a ball. Press into a disk and refrigerate for fifteen minutes if the butter feels soft.

2 Preheat oven to 425 and bring a large pot of water to a boil

3 Gently drop peaches into water and boil for 90 seconds. Once cool enough to handle, skins should slip right off. Split peaches in half, remove pit, and slice into thin, even slices.

4 Roll dough out onto well floured sheet of parchment paper. Roll out until dough is about 14" across and reasonably round. If dough gets soft, refrigerate for a few minutes until it firms up.

5 Arrange slices along center of rolled out pastry, leaving  2-3" along the perimeter to fold over the edges of the fruit mound. Brush pastry with butter, drizzling excess over fruit. Sprinkle pastry and fruit with sugar.

6 Transfer galette, parchment and all, onto a cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 375 and bake for 20 more minutes or until crust is golden.

Serve at room temperature.

Ready to eat!