Just Peachy!!! STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATALIE FINDLAY
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s there any other fruit that ignites the feeling of summer than a bite into a freshly picked, warm, ripened-from-the-sun, juice-drippingdown-your-chin, sweet peach? There are three groups of peaches: freestone (flesh easily removed from pit), semi-clingstone, and clingstone (flesh clings to pit). Peaches will continue to ripen after they have been picked, so if you find some that are too firm, let them sit out for a few days. The sweet smell and slightly soft feel of their flesh when pressed will let you know they are ripe. Peach season does not last long, enjoy as many as you can during July and August. Peach Blackberry Thyme Galette Peach Blackberry Thyme Galette
Peach Blackberry Thyme Galette Makes 1 Galette
Dough
1/3 cup (80 mL) water 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup almond flour ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour ½ tsp salt 1 tsp thyme ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 5cm slices 3 Tbs (45 mL) buttermilk 3-6 Tbs ice water
Filling
3 cups peaches, sliced 1 cup blackberries ½ cup brown sugar ½ tsp thyme Pinch salt 1½ Tbs cornstarch 1 Tbs (15 mL) heavy cream 1/3 cup castor sugar 1 Tbs slivered almonds Drizzle of honey or vanilla ice cream, for garnish 18 Culinaire | July/August 2022
1. Add 1/3 cup of water to a small bowl and put it in the freezer to chill. 2. Add the flours, salt, and thyme to a large bowl, and stir to combine. Add the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles lots of almond size butter chunks. 3. Stir the buttermilk and ice water together and drizzle over the flour mixture and stir. Keep combining until the dough just holds together when you give it a squeeze and there are no more dry, floury bits. Drizzle in more ice water as needed. 4. Turn the dough out onto the counter. Gently press into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill 45 minutes. 5. Cut peaches into slices. In a medium bowl, add peach slices, blackberries, sugar, thyme, salt, and cornstarch and stir to combine. Let sit while the dough chills. 6. Remove the dough from the fridge. Unwrap. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out dough to 15 cm diameter. 7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently ease dough unto parchment. Place fruit mixture on the dough leaving approximately 7 cm rim without fruit.
8. Fold the dough rim over the fruit. Put in freezer for 20 minutes. 9. Preheat oven to 450º F. Remove dough from freezer. Brush the rim with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar and slivered almonds. Place in the oven. Turn down heat to 375º F and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
