nectarine galette

happy september, friends!

i know that summer is still all around us and believe me, in new jersey, i’m still feeling it around me verrrry much. but that doesn’t take away that a couple nights ago, we went out for a bike ride and it was literally CHILLY. i smelled halloween hanging in the air and almost put a white sheet over my niece’s head and went trick-or-treating with her! okay, i didn’t do that but i was pretty close to it!

this september won’t be like any september i’ve ever know before. my sister and her husband are officially back to work while house hunting in this crazy market, i’m officially back in nursing school (weird virtual classes), and one of my nieces is doing virtual 4th grade while the 3-year old will be just be hanging around being 50% sweetest baby i’ve ever known and 50% terrorizing little monster! oh, it’s going to be crazy.

but we’ve had the most precious moments just in the first week of september that we’ll hold onto when the going gets tough. when we’re driving each other crazy, we’ll remember our pure joy over a fancy real-life tea party where we had fresh cinnamon glazed scones, fresh squeezed strawberry lime-ade “tea”, and the cutest little finger sandwiches. when we feel overwhelmed with nothing going in the right direction, we’ll think about the entire family staying up late watching “the greatest showman” and falling in love with every scene and song together. and when we feel over worked and defeated, we’ll remember that mom and dad, gong-gong and pau-pau will drive over again to let us sleep in, cook our favorite dinners, entertain the girls with fresh caught eel and laugh at silly videos on the phone together.

i know that we’ll all get through this. i know this because we’re resilient and we’re adaptive. first we realize that it’s not too bad. then we realize that the evenings are a bit cozier. we feel less hot and sticky and no more fuss with itchy mosquito bites. we’ll build a fire and roast marshmallows. we’ll put on our favorite sweaters and look forward to our weekends like we’ve never before! and best of all, we’ll look forward to chilly days and nights when auntie has the oven on and nothing but cinnamon and spices are wafting through the warm air, under the noses of tiny people snuggled in throws and blankets on the sofa.

but riiiiight before any of that will happen, make sure you squeeze in one more piece of summer delight. this absolutely easy and simple nectarine galette comes together super quickly and is beloved by everyone! if you don’t have nectarines on hand, most other fruits work just as well! peaches, apples, berries– have your pick!

whip up this galette, enjoy with loved ones, and then go dig out those cardigans and boots because it’s almost fall ya’ll!

INGREDIENTS
makes 1 10-inch galette

for pie dough
1 1/4 c (160g) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tb granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
3-4 tb (about 1/4 c) ice water

for filling
6 nectarines, thinly sliced
1/4 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cornstarch

for egg wash + topping
1 egg
1 tb milk or water
turbinado raw sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Make the pie dough.
I usually make this a day before I need it.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and very cold butter. Lightly toss everything around with your hands to coat the butter with flour. Then, start flattening and breaking up the pieces of butter in your hands, between your thumbs and forefingers. You want to end up with some bigger flat pieces of butter, and other smaller varied pea sized pieces, almost working the butter into the flour a bit. work quickly because you want everything to stay cold. The mixture should resemble course meal. If the mixture is starting to get too warm, stick it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before moving on. it should not be greasy at all.

Add the ice water a couple tablespoons at a time. Toss around lightly with a spoon to hydrate the flour and fully combine. Dough should hold together when squeezed but not be overly wet or sticky. You can knead the dough or squeeze it together to bring everything together but DO NOT over-knead it or your crust will be tough. Form the dough into a flat circular or rectangular disc, depending on what shape you want the final galette to resemble, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge right away for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.

preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

make the filling
thinly slice all the nectarines and set aside. in a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. mix well and set aside.

roll out dough + assemble galette
on a heavily floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, start flattening the disc of dough, rotating it as you go along to make sure it’s not sticking to the surface. add more flour if needed. now roll dough out gently until it is about 12-13 inches wide or 1/8 inch thick. it’s okay if the edges are not perfect, i love an imperfect rustic looking galette anyway! transfer rolled out dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet by rolling it up onto your rolling pin and then gently unrolling it onto the baking sheet.

sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly onto the surface of the dough, leaving a 2 inch border. then, assemble the slices of nectarines onto the dough, alternating directions of the slices, leaving a 2 inch border. sprinkle the rest of the sugar mixture on top of the nectarines. gently fold the sides up over the nectarines, pressing down to seal lightly as you go all around. place entire galette into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.

in a small bowl, beat egg and milk or water together.

brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. bake 28-30 minutes, until crust is deep golden brown.

let cool before serving and enjoy with ice cream!

enjoy!

Comments are closed.