This is a scrumptious recipe to take advantage of seasonal peaches. A galette is a free-form, rustic peach tart where you don't have to line, crimp and blind-bake the crust. This one has fresh peaches and almond cream, and the result is juicy, slightly sweet, crunchy, and plain delicious. And the components can be made ahead.
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If you're in the mood for homemade peach pie but want to make a minimal-effort pie crust, a galette is precisely what you need.
It's a perfect summer dessert for barbecues and picnics, to take advantage of seasonal fruit (not-so-great-to-eat peaches are perfect for this) and lazy weekends.
What is a galette?
It's a free-form pie or tart, a rustic dessert in tart form. Whatever you call it, it doesn't involve lining a pie pan, crimping the edges, and blind-baking it.
The pie is baked directly on parchment paper or a sheet pan, so there's no need for a pie dish. How's that for convenience? It can be sweet like this one or the apple galette, or savory like our favorite Tomato Galette recipe.
What is the difference between a galette and a crostata?
They can be the same thing, one French and the other Italian. But crostata is also used when referring to lattice pies that are baked on a pie plate, like this fig jam tart.
Galette dough or puff pastry?
You can use both! And I have on many occasions. Whatever is less complicated at the moment.
- Italian pie dough: for homemade crust, I love this sweet dough called pasta frolla. It's easy to roll, can be frozen for a few months, and bakes to a golden crunch. I really love it. It's sweet but not overly so, more spongy than our flaky pie crust, and richer from the extra egg yolk.
- Store-bought: yes, you can use your favorite sweet pastry from the grocery store, preferably all butter but it also works with purchased puff pastry or flaky crust.
- All butter pie crust: this is always an option, the classic pie crust or sweet shortcrust pastry recipe that is so popular with readers of this blog.
Almond cream
I love this paste made from raw almonds and sugar. It's super easy and keeps in the refrigerator or the freezer for several weeks. And it has its own post in case you want a more detailed description, How to Make Frangipane.
It pairs well with most fruit tarts like the peaches in this recipe. Or the Pear Frangipane Tart and Apricot Raspberry Tart which are both very French and delicious.
Peach filling
The filling consists of frangipane (almond cream) and fresh fruit. The almond paste creates a barrier between the fruit juices, making the crust crisper. And it adds great flavor, of course!
What peaches can you use?
- Fresh peaches: my first choice when in season.
- Should we peel them? I like to peel half and leave half with the skin on. A mix of texture and smoothness. Choose what works for you.
- How ripe should the fruit be? It's best to have firm, ripe peaches but not overly juicy. If some slices are a bit overripe and don't look as pretty as the others. Also, the fruit cooks while baking, so it will hold better if it is just ripe enough.
- Canned peaches: they work if you don't have the luxury of having stone fruit in season. You'll need to drain them well before slicing.
How to assemble a galette
There are a few details that you need to take into account.
- Size of the dough circle: the pie crust is rolled into a circle, ¾ of it is filled starting at the center. The unfilled edges are turned inwards, encasing a small part of the peaches and leaving most of the filling exposed in the center. So make sure you leave a nice space around the edges (about a 2-inch border) to easily enclose the outer part of the fruit. Image above.
- Amount of fruit: it's hard to give an exact amount of peaches needed because it depends on how thick you cut the slices. I use between 3 or 4 large ones for a 9-inch pie.
- Egg wash: mix an egg with some milk and brush the edges of the dough. This will bake the dough to a more golden brown color.
- Sugar and almonds: I sprinkle the whole galette (outer edge and top of the peaches) with sugar and then some sliced almonds where the pie dough meets the peaches. It adds sweetness and crunch and looks pretty.
Use a cold pie crust, add a base before adding the fruit, and assemble it right before putting it in the oven. This way, you don't give the fruit time to start releasing liquid. In the case of this easy peach galette, we use almond cream. But you can also add a thin layer of ground nuts or cookie crumbs. They will soak up the extra juices from the fruit.
Yes, you can, and it's a good idea if it was stored it in the refrigerator. Warm it in a medium/high oven (350° to 375°F) for about 10 minutes so that the crust crisps up again, or becomes flaky if using puff pastry.
The dough should be golden brown, dry, and the fruit bubbling and roasted, slightly shriveled. You can check the bottom of this rustic tart to see that it's not still white and soggy. If that is the case, place it in the lower part of the oven for 5-10 minutes so it browns.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Make ahead. Homemade crust: you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week and frozen for up to 2 months, always covered in plastic wrap or an airtight freezer bag. Almond cream: it keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen. Always use an airtight container.
- Serving: I think the perfect way to serve this tart is slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (and a drizzle of honey, maybe?). But it is also good served at room temperature on its own.
- Smaller galettes: this recipe makes about 4 individual rustic tarts. Very cute when you have guests.
- Variations: skip the almond cream and scatter the bottom of the pie with ground almonds or vanilla cookie crumbs (or a mix of both) before placing the peach wedges on top. Or drizzle some lemon juice over the fruit and sprinkle it with a heavier dose of sugar before popping it into the oven. It will cut down on the sweetness.
- Other fruit: this galette recipe works really well with other stone fruits like nectarines, plums, and apricots. Scatter berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) on top of the peaches before baking the pie, similar to the apricot frangipane tart.
Related recipes you might like:
Almond Peach Galette (free-form tart)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 recipe Italian pie crust or purchased puff pastry round, for other alternatives see Notes, below
For the almond cream (frangipane):
- ½ cup whole almonds
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg white, at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon flour
- ¼ teaspoon each of pure almond and vanilla extracts
- 1 tablespoon milk
Assembling the galette:
- 3-4 large peaches, cored and sliced (with or without skin)
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar, I like brown sugar more than white, but both work just fine
- 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
Instructions
For the almond cream:
- Put almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until almonds are in coarse pieces.
- Add butter in pieces and egg.
- Process until it all becomes a cream.
- Add flour, almond extract and/or vanilla extract, if using, and process *just* to mix.
- Mix the frangipane with the milk and reserve.
Assembling the tart:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready the measured almond cream and the sliced peaches. After the dough is rolled the assembly should be quick so the pie crust doesn't start to soften too much.
- If using homemade crust: To roll the dough, start with the disk of cold dough on the counter, roll it a few inches, and finish on a piece of paper that will then go onto the baking sheet with the assembled galette. You will need to roll the dough about 2 extra inches than the galette size you want to make.
- Lightly flour the counter space and have ready the piece of parchment paper at least 8x8 inches.
- Take out the dough from the fridge and begin to roll it, lifting and turning it a quarter (I do it to the left) regularly, making sure that it doesn't stick.
- Make a circle of roughly 11 inches in diameter to have a final 8-inch galette. I recommend transferring the dough to the parchment paper when it's about 9 inches and rolling the rest on the paper, even if the paper is smaller. You will turn the edges inwards so don't worry. At no point should the dough start to warm and stick too much to the paper. If this happens, put the paper with the dough on a sheet and chill the whole thing for a few minutes before continuing rolling.
- Spread the almond cream in the center, making a circle and leaving about 2 inches without filling.
- Arrange the peach slices any way you want.
- Dust the fruit with the sugar and start turning the leftover crust inward. It will fold in small pieces each time you lift it.
- Complete the round and sprinkle the outer edge with the sliced almonds. You can add an egg wash first if you want to. Simply mix a lightly beaten egg and a tablespoon of milk and brush before sprinkling the sugar.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until the dough is golden, the fruit bubbly and the almond cream somewhat set.
- Let cool on a wire rack until you can carefully transfer it to a serving plate.
- Eat warm or at room temperature sprinkled with powdered sugar, a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of honey.
- Store leftovers at room temperature for a day and after refrigeration for 3-4 days, always wrapped to avoid them from drying out.
Karen says
This looks absolutely amazing. I'm going to make this for Father's Day.