Saturday, July 31, 2010

Blueberry and Summer Peach Galette with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream


Oh baby, look at that oozing berry juice spilling out of the galette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Light, summery, refreshing, beautiful. This fruit galette is just heaven-- beautiful blues and purples from the blueberries and reds and orange colors from the peaches. The thin flaky crust serves as the perfect bed for the sweet juicy fruit. Paired with some dang good homemade vanilla bean ice cream, all I have to say is "mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm!"


A galette is a thin, free-form open-face tart. The dough is not sweet and can be used for savory tarts as well as dessert. Once you make the dough, the filling is your choice, pretty much anything goes.

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...I am at a loss for words. Just make it, eat it, share it, enjoy it.


Blueberry and Summer Peach Galette

adapted from Alice Waters' In the Green Kitchen


6 to 8 servings

This recipe makes enough dough for 2 tarts. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for several months

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice-cold water

3-4 medium peaches
1 cup of blueberries
sugar
1 egg

If making the crust by hand: Measure the flour and salt (if including) into a bowl. The butter should be cold and firm, but not hard. Cut into 1/4-1/2 inch cubes and put about half of it into the bowl. Work it into the flour with your fingertips, lightly rubbing and breaking the flour-coated pieces of butter into small bits, until the mixture is roughly the texture of oatmeal or cornmeal. Add the rest of the butter and work it quickly into the dough until the pieces of butter are about half of their original size. Dribble the water into the dough while tossing the mixture with a fork. Keep adding water only until the dough begins to clumo and hold together when you squeeze a handful. You may not need the full 1/2 cup. Divide the dough into two and gather each part into a ball. Wrap each ball in plastic and flatten it into a disk. Let the dough rest, refrigerated, for an hour or so (I like to do it the night before...). You may want to freeze the second disk of dough for future use.

If you are using an electric mixer: Just follow the above directions but instead of using your fingers to incorporate the butter, use your fingers to turn on your mixer (use the paddle attachment).

When ready to make the tart: Let the dough warm up at room temperature for 15 minutes or so and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle about 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate while preparing the fruit.

Peel and slice the peaches (or whatever fruit you use) and toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar. I added blueberries to this, too. Freely pile the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border of dough around the whole circumference. Fold the dough over up over the fruit, and brush the rim of the dough lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle sugar over the dough and fruit; use more or less, depending on the tartness of the fruit.

Bake in the lower part of the oven for 45-50 minutes, until the fruit is tender and the pastry is golden brown and slightly caramelized at the edges. Slide the tart off the pan to cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature--with softly whipped cream or homemade ice cream, if you like.


Some notes:

If you are using juicy stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums: to help absorb the juices sprinkle a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1 tablespoon ground almonds (optional) on the pastry before topping with the fruit.

Apple galette is delicious when you spread the rolled-out dough with apricot jam before arranging the apples on top. After baking, brush the apples with warm apricot jam for a beautiful glaze.



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