Peach Galette

Peaches are summer's nectar. Their fragrance nature's perfume. The bright orange yellow blush reminds me of sunsets in polluted cities I lived in and bygone days when I would pass an entire afternoon picking peaches off a friend's tree, the juices dripping down my face while we stuffed ourselves silly, to the point of illness. I was deliriously high on sugar.

To show my gratitude to a book club member for helping me out a few months ago, I decided to make peach galette to share while we discussed Middlesex this evening. I actually wanted to make apricot galette but their season ended in July, and the taste test at Whole Foods quickly convinced me that I needed to move on to better fruit. After a discussion with a friendly shopper, the produce guy, and three taste tests, I ended up with more peaches than I knew what to do with. Much to my surprise, the best tasting peaches at Whole Foods were the conventionally grown ones; they were also $2 a pound more expensive than the organic ones! It was so worth it.

The galette was delicious. I thought it would be super sweet because the peaches were so very sweet, plus I added a few tablespoons of sugar but it was simply scrumptious if I do say so myself. I bet this would be great with nectarines. It's their peak season too. Eat fruit, be happy! At the very least, buy lots of fruit, cut and freeze to make summer treats in the dead of winter when such luxurious fruit is not available!

Ingredients
-Galette Dough (see June 2007 entries)
-1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (used about a 1/2 cup; see previous entry on prep)
-3 to 4 ripe peaches, sliced thinly
-3 T butter, melted
-3 T sugar or more to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll the dough into a 14 inch circle (do this on top of parchment paper). Leaving a 2 inch border, cover the center of the dough with bread crumbs (necessary to keep crust crispy with all the juices). Arrange peaches over the crumbs, making a single layer. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping to make wide pleats. Brush the dough with butter and drizzle any remaining butter over the fruit. Sprinkle both the crust and peaches with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 375 and continue baking until fruit is tender and crust is browned, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove and let cool to lukewarm before serving.

So I skipped the butter step which I don't recommend. It really does help the crust brown more easily. Seriously, after 1 1/2 sticks, what's another 3 T. Don't skimp on the butter!

If using apricots, select 12 large, ripe, fragrant ones.