Peach Galette with Cornmeal Crust


“Outstanding” is the word that my other half uses for this recipe.  I wish I could take credit for it, but the scrumptious crust is adapted from a 2008 Cooking Light recipe.  The original recipe calls for blueberries and blackberries for the filling (and it’s also delicious) but this peachy one takes the cake, according to my family, anyway.  


For those that don’t know what a galette is, I’ve heard it referred to as the “lazy man’s pie”.  As I’m not a great baker, I love baking this kind of pie, as it’s so forgiving yet elegant in presentation.  

As it takes a little time to prepare the crust, (including 30 minutes chilling in the fridge) I will usually make a double batch of the dough.  Here you see a galette with peach and one with blueberries, both ready for the oven.

If you don’t have a food processor to prep the crust, fear not, you can get away with a pastry cutter or even a fork, knife and a little elbow grease.  You can skip arm day at the gym after making this crust, and it’s so worth it!

You’ll get crumbly pieces of dough as you cut the butter with the rest of the ingredients. Once you press things together, it makes looks like this!Be sure to account for the 30 minute of fridge time for the dough.  You can keep the dough in longer, sometimes I’ll make the dough in the morning then finish the galette before dinner, baking it while we are eating.

The peaches really don’t need a lot of sugar when they’re in season. 

You can leave the peels on your peaches, but I found most of my peels fell off this batch while I was slicing them.  These guys are juicy and you’ll want to make sure you drain the excess juice before adding it to your crust (or maybe you don’t, just be prepared for drips!)

Here’s what the dough looks like pressed out.  No need for a perfect circle or fine edges.

Toss the drained fruit on leaving about 2 inches of space from the edge.

Fold it up and voila!

Making 2 at once is a beautiful thing, just double the recipe below!  The filings can apparently be varied.

Here it is going in to the oven…

…and here it is coming out! Serve warm or cool with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.  It’s heavenly!

 

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal (I used Four Star Farms cornmeal from our winter CSA)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces (super small if you don’t have a food processor, a little bigger than pea sized is good.  Put the cubes back in the fridge until ready to use, you want them to be cold for best results)
  • 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk (I never buy buttermilk anymore.  Instead, I combine 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar, let it curdle at room temp for 5 minutes, stir and use in lieu of store-bought buttermilk)

Filling

  • 4-ish cups of slivered peaches (peel is optional)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar (or to taste, this part is quite negotiable)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch

Before baking

  • (Optional) 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
  • 1 egg white

Directions 

If you have a food processor, add your ingredients to it following the directions below.  If not, use a mixing bowl, we’ll still make it work!

  1. For the Crust, combine Flour, sugar, cornmeal and salt and pulse/whisk just to combine.  
  2. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until you have a consistency of a coarse meal.  (If not using a processor, cut the dough together with a fork and knife or pastry cutter until you get a similar consistency. If you find it’s taking you a while or you need a break, toss it in the fridge to keep your butter cold, and take a quick rest.)
  3. Slowly add in your buttermilk, continuing to process until a dough begins to form.  Roll your dough into a ball (I find it takes a little bit of finesse, you’ll probably find some crumbles of floury mixture, incorporate those as best you can).  Wrap your ball tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to use.  
  4. While your dough is refrigerating, you can prepare your filling. Combine your filling ingredients and stir to combine. 
  5. Once your dough is ready, roll it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I recommend rimmed as these things sometimes drip) until it’s roughly 15 inches round.
  6. Drain the liquid from your peach mixture before adding the peaches to your crust, leaving a 2-inch border around the dough.
  7. Fold up the ends of your crust, pleating as you go around.  (This does not have to be perfect or even)
  8. Brush your dough edges with egg white and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (if using).
  9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour (checking at 45 minutes) until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 30 minutes before cutting into it.  Enjoy!

About Jess

Jess Anderson is the creator of CSA|365 and is passionate about the local food movement. A long time member of Springdell and a busy mother of two, Jess loves keeping her family fed by honest local food.