Just Peachy: Peach Melba Galettes

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Loblaws Companies Inc.. All opinions are 100% mine.

We’ve officially reached my very favourite part of summer in Toronto.

No, not the part where it gets so unbearably hot that opening the front door feels like getting blasted in the face with a hair dryer. I’m talking about the fact that Ontario peach season is finally upon us.

Sure, I love my local Ontario strawberries and asparagus and corn as much as the next gal, but the biggest piece of my heart belongs to those gorgeous golden-yellow peaches.

Like all good things, the local peaches don't last for long, but considering that I basically eat my own weight in peaches over the space of two weeks, that's probably okay.

In other words, if I can make it to September and not be totally repulsed by the idea of eating just one more peach, I probably haven't done it right. Especially since the high temperatures and non-stop sun of the last couple of months means this year’s batch are especially good… intensely flavourful and sweet and golden, like concentrated summer sunshine on my plate.

It seems like the folks at Loblaws are as obsessed as I am, because peaches are their Share the Food Love pick for August.

Seeing as it’s usually too dang hot to be bothered with any actual cooking right now (and given that I am an exceptionally lazy person by nature), I’ve just been eating my peaches out of hand, with no accompaniment besides a big pile of napkins on standby to catch the inevitable drips of peach juice.

That doesn’t seem like much of a recipe, though, which is why I’m sharing these little individually-sized peach galettes.

They may look fancy, what with their classic peach melba filling of sliced peaches and fresh raspberries with a sprinkling of sliced almonds for crunch, but the truth is that they’re about as easy as it gets. (See my comment above re: my excessive laziness.)

A galette has none of the fussiness of a regular pie. There’s no pie plate, no top crust, and no pretty edges with decorative crimping. Instead, you just roll out the dough into a few more-or-less circular shapes, arrange on a baking sheet, top with filling and then fold over in the most haphazard way possible.

They are the messy bun of the pastry world - easy to make, requiring minimal equipment, and yet fancy enough for a dinner with the in-laws.

Even the dough is perfectly designed for us lazy girls. It basically breaks every rule you’ve ever read about how to make pie dough, and yet it never fails to bake up beautifully golden and flaky and tender. It’s like magic, I tell you.

It might be familiar to you if you’ve ever made rugelach, the buttery little crescent-shaped cookies that are a staple at any Jewish bakery, but basically it’s a simple mixture of flour, cream cheese and butter, with a pinch of salt added in for flavour. You just throw the whole mess into a food processor, where it somehow undergoes a magical transformation from crumbly mess to cohesive, malleable dough.

As far as I’m concerned, I will never make pie crust any other way ever again. Or pie, for that matter.

And when you combine that amazing pie crust with all these lovely summer flavours, you know you just can’t go wrong. It may not capture the essence of summer quite as perfectly as eating a fresh ripe peach straight up, but it’s basically the next best thing.

Now if only we could do something about the heat...

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Share the Love Contest:

To sweeten the deal, you might just win your next grocery shop at Loblaws (estimated value $250). To enter, follow @LoblawsON on Instagram, then share a photo of your favourite recipes featuring Ontario peaches using the hashtag #ShareTheFoodLove. (Pro tip: Don’t forget to make sure your account is set to public so that the team at Loblaws can see it!)

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Individually-Sized Peach Melba Galettes

 

Print

Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

2 hours 40 mins

 

These single-serve galettes feature of summer's ripe-right-now-so-eat-the-while-you-can fruits - tangy raspberries and juicy peaches - all bundled up in a foolproof cream cheese pastry crust.

Author: Isabelle Boucher (Crumb)

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Fail-Proof Pastry Dough:

• 2¼ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 package (250g) cold cream cheese, cubed
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Peach Melba Filling:

• 3 firm-ripe peaches, cut into thin slices
• ½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Assembly and Toppings:

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
• ½ cup sliced blanched almonds

Instructions

1. Prepare the Dough (at least 2 hours or up to 3 days ahead)
2. Using a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cream cheese, and pulse until the cream cheese has been completely cut in and no visible chunks remain. With the processor running, add the butter and process until everything comes together into a soft dough and starts pulling away from the sides of the work bowl.
3. Scoop the dough onto a clean work surface, and divide into six equal pieces. Shape each one into a ball, then flatten out into a thick disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
4. Make the Filling:
5. When you're ready to bake, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, toss the peaches, raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch together until the fruits are evenly coated.
6. Assemble the Galettes:
7. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough into 8” circles. Arrange the crusts on the prepared baking sheets, and spoon the filling into the centres and sprinkle with sliced almonds, leaving a 1” border of dough around the edges. (If you want to be fancy, you can arrange the peach slices in overlapping circles, but I’m too lazy for that.) Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, then brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool off completely. Serve as-is, or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for extra deliciousness.

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