Peach Frangipane Galette - Rustic Tart

Peach Frangipane Galette was not going to be on the blog this week. But when I found peaches were still available, the planned post had to be bumped for something, anything, peach!

Peach Cobbler is another favorite, and you can check my Recipes index page under Desserts for more peach recipes. I’m a real peach fan, so this is pretty much peach headquarters during the season. 

For me, an unsweetened shortcrust pastry balances out the sweetness of the filling. But you may also use this lightly sweet shortcrust pastry. A bit of softly whipped cream would not go amiss, but I just wanted to focus on the peaches.

If I can get my hands on some organic figs, soon I’ll be making my Fresh Fig Frangipane Galette. Soooo looking forward to autumn. I’m not going to miss summer at all, except summer fruit, especially peaches. Summer's last hurrah. 

Peach Frangipane Galette - Rustic Tart

(Makes one 9-inch tart/6 to 8 servings)

The Pastry - Shortcrust

1 1/3 dip-and-sweep cup (6.67 ounces/189 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk, reserve the white for filling

1 tablespoon cream, milk or water

The Filling - Frangipane and Peaches

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/57 grams) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar
1/2 firmly packed cup (2 ounces/57 grams) super-fine almond flour (ground almonds)
1 egg plus the reserved egg white
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
About 3 medium (15 ounces/425 grams, total) perfectly ripe peaches
A bit of cream or milk

2 tablespoons (0.5 ounce/15 grams) sliced almonds
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar

1 Add flour and salt to work bowl of food processor; turn on for about 3 or 4 seconds to combine. Add chunks of butter; pulse to a crumb texture. Add egg yolk and cream; pulse until the dough starts clumping together. This is to be a crisp, more cookie-like crust, rather than a flaky pastry; so there's not quite the concern about over-processing. Flatten slightly into a 4- to 6-inch round disc, wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

2 In 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Take off heat, and stir in the sugar, then the ground almonds, egg, almond extract and salt until well combined. Set it in the refrigerator until the pastry has chilled for 30 to 60 minutes. 

3 Preheat oven to 400F/205C/Gas6. Roll out the pastry to a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured 13-inch square of parchment paper. No need to trim the edges; this is supposed to be rustic. Leave the pastry on the parchment and slide it onto a large rimless baking sheet (or a rimmed baking sheet at least 10 inches wide; it will hang over the side until you’ve folded the edges in).

You know how you usually try to carefully roll out the pastry to have smooth edges and perfectly round shape? Not for this! With a rustic tart, irregular edges are a good thing, adding to the rustic appearance.

4 Wash, dry—no need to peel—and slice the peaches. I do it like this: Quarter peach, cut each quarter into 3 or 4 wedges, cut wedges in half. For a fancy tart, I would not cut the wedges in half; would arrange the lovely wedges in a nice pattern. But this is a rustic tart, so no need to "arrange" anything! You should have about 2 cups or so of peaches. 

5 Spread the frangipane over a 9-inch circle in the center and scatter the peach slices over it. Fold the edges in, sort of pleating as you go. Brush the pastry with a bit of cream or milk and sprinkle on the sliced almonds, pressing them in a bit to make them stick. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

6 Bake for about 35 minutes. Leave on baking sheet to cool for 25 minutes before moving to serving plate. 

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Jean