This Stone Fruit Galette Is a Celebration of Summer Produce

If you’ve perused your local farmers market recently, you already know it’s peak stone fruit season. What better way to celebrate than with a simple and delicious baking project? Whether you have peaches, plums, or nectarines in your fruit bowl at home, this galette recipe from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) makes the perfect vehicle.

1. What’s a Galette?
2. How to Make a Stone Fruit Galette
3. Stone Fruit Galette Recipe Step By Step
4. How to Store the Pastry Dough

What’s a Galette?

A galette is a rustic, French dish consisting of a pastry base that’s partway folded over a sweet or savory filling. Its name derives from the Norman word gale, meaning flat cake. Galettes are versatile and don’t require a pan for baking, making them an excellent choice for a simple and delicious dessert. 

How to Make a Stone Fruit Galette

Chelsea Burgess, chef-instructor of Pastry & Baking Arts at the ICE, developed this recipe. She says you should begin making the pâte brisée, French for “broken pastry,” by whisking the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Then, add the cold butter and use your fingers to massage it into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces. Take care not to let the butter melt—small, cold pieces are essential for a flaky crust.

“Keeping the butter cold is what helps to allow the pieces of butter to hold shape and avoid getting soft and fully incorporated into the dough,” chef Burgess tells Mental Floss. “Since the butter is in small pieces, those pieces will turn to steam in the oven and act as a leavening agent, separating the layers and making the dough flaky.”

At this time, slowly pour the ice-cold water into the dough and mix until it’s just combined. You can add a little more water if it’s too dry. Flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick circle, wrap it in plastic, and chill it for 1 to 2 hours.

The stone fruit filling is much easier to make. Start by combining the sliced fruit, sugars, lemon zest, juice, and vanilla. Toss the ingredients and let them sit for 30 minutes before straining the juices. The last step of the filling is tossing the fruit with cornstarch.

Once you have your pâte brisée and stone fruit filling, it’s time to assemble everything. Flour a surface and use it to roll out the chilled dough until it’s a quarter inch thick. You’ll need to turn the dough by a quarter between each roll to ensure it’s evenly flat. Cut the dough into a 14-inch wide rectangle, and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Pour the stone fruit mixture into the center of the dough, ensuring a 2-inch border remains around the pile. Then, fold the edges over the fruit, pleating if necessary. After that, gently brush the top of the dough with egg wash. (You can also add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar, if you’d like.) Bake the galette at 375°F for 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove the dessert from the tray and place it on a wire rack to avoid a soggy bottom. The galete will need to cool for a while before it’s ready to serve.

Stone Fruit Galette Recipe Step By Step

Makes: 1 (10-inch) galette

Pâte Brisée

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

⅔ teaspoon granulated sugar

⅔ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed

⅓ cup ice-cold water, plus more as needed

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Add cold butter and use fingers to rub in the flour until pea-sized pieces form.
3. Add water slowly, mixing until the dough just comes together. Add more water as needed.
4. Flatten into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

Stone Fruit Filling

2½ lbs. stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines), sliced ¼ inch thick

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Combine sliced fruit, both sugars, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Toss and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Strain off the juices. Toss fruit with cornstarch just before assembling.

Assembly

Pâte Brisée, chilled

Stone fruit filling 

¼ cup turbinado sugar 

2 eggs beaten

1. Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface, rotating the dough in quarter turns between rolls, until the dough is ¼ inch thick.
2. Cut into approximately a 14-inch round and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Pile fruit in the center, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges over fruit, pleating as needed.
4. Brush exposed dough with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (optional).
5. Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
6. Remove galette from the tray and cool on a wire rack to prevent a soggy bottom.
7. Cool thoroughly before slicing.

How to Store the Pastry Dough

If you’re short on time, you can store the components and bake them another day. Chelsea Burgess tells Mental Floss that the dough keeps well in a refrigerated air-tight container for about three days, and can be frozen for up to a month. After one day in the refrigerator, the dough will start to turn a bit gray. This is caused by lactic acid oxidation, but it won’t affect the texture or flavor. When you rewarm it in the oven, the gray color will vanish.

You can try out more fun recipes at the Institute of Culinary Education’s Los Angeles and New York City locations. The school offers a variety of cooking classes, ranging from plant-based cuisine to pastry baking. Check out the ICE’s courses on its website. 

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