Easy Rustic Peach Galette

If you're in the mood for homemade peach pie but at the same time you want to go the minimal-effort-pie-crust route, a galette is exactly what you need.

What is a galette?

A galette is a free-form pie or tart, or rustic dessert in tart form. Whatever you call it, it doesn't involve lining a pie pan and crimping the edges.

The pie crust is rolled into a circle, ¾ of it is filled, and the edges are turned inwards leaving most of the filling exposed in the center. The pie is baked directly on parchment paper or an oven sheet, 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.

Galette dough

There are several pies that go well with galettes. It depends a lot on the type of filling you're using.

• Italian pie dough: we love this easy sweet dough called pasta frolla. It's easy to roll, can be frozen for a few months, and bakes to a golden crunch. Love it. It's sweet but not overly so, more spongy than our flaky pie crust, and richer from the extra egg yolk. I'm sure you'll love it.
• All butter pie crust: this is our runner-up, the sweet shortcrust pastry recipe that is so popular with readers of this blog.
• 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.

Peach filling

The filling consists of frangipane (a.k.a almond cream) and fresh fruit. The almond paste creates a barrier between the fruit juices so the crust is crisper. And it adds great flavor, of course!

Almond cream

I love this paste made from raw almonds and sugar. It's super easy and keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator or the freezer. 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.

What type of peaches can you use?

• Fresh peaches: my first choice when in season.
• Canned peaches: It does work with canned ones if you don't have the luxury of having stone fruit in season. You'll need to drain them well before slicing.
• 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 the fruit is just ripe enough.

Assembling a galette

There are a few details that you need to take into account.

• Size of the dough circle: you will use a rolling pin like always when making a homemade crust. But make sure you leave a nice space around the edges (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: I don't usually use it, but you absolutely can. Simply mix an egg with some milk and brush the edges of the dough. It will bake to a more golden brown color.
• Sugar and almonds: I do 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.

Make-ahead

• Crust: you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week and frozen for up to 2 months. Always in plastic wrap or an airtight freezer bag.
• Almond cream: it's easy to make in the food processor, keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, and can be frozen. Always use an airtight container.

Variation

• Other fruit: this galette recipe works really well with other stone fruit like nectarines, plums, and apricots. Scatter berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, they all work very well) on top of the peaches before baking the pie.
• Skip the almond cream and scatter the bottom of the pie with ground almonds, vanilla cookie crumbs, or a mix of both.
• Acid: you can also 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.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space (work surface or counter space) to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
• Serving it: slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (and a drizzle of honey maybe?) is the perfect way in my opinion. But this is also a good tart to serve at room temperature.
• Smaller galettes: you can make about 4 individual rustic tarts with this recipe. Very cute when you have guests.