Fresh Peach Galette

It's time for Michigan Peaches, chin drippin' and just begging to be turned into something scrumptious.  Michigan peaches are one of the few things we eat that go beyond our 100 mile locavore diet.  I'm not sure why they grow so many there and almost none here, but I'm sure glad they're in season.  The first one I enjoyed just ripe and juicy all by itself.  I could have sat down and eaten all the rest, one right after the other, but my father always warned me about Gluttony.  So I thought about something that Tim could enjoy for breakfast and decided on a peach galette with a new "Blitz Puff Pastry" recipe I came across on a podcast on Culinary Media Network from Chef Mark Tafoya (6/25/10 podcast).  It's a super fast and easy way to make puff pastry and turned out some beautious galette in addition to some other savory treats I'll save for a later post.  The galette sounds fancy and difficult, but it's really more of a county style pastry that doesn't have to be perfect looking to be pleasing to the eye and the taste buds as well.

Blitz Puff Pastry Ingredients:

1 lb all purpose flour

or

1/2 lb pastry flour and 1/2 lb bread flour

1 lb unsalted butter

1/4 oz kosher salt or sea salt

1 cup ice water

In a mixing bowl for your electric mixer place flour and salt.  Cut butter into tablespoon sized chunks and place in bowl with flour mixture.  Place bowl and paddle in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes

Mix on low speed until butter is incorporated into flour and about the size of a walnut.

Add the icewater and mix no more than 1 minute more, just until dough comes together.

Place dough onto floured work surface and shape into a rectange.  Roll out until about the size of a 1/2 sheet pan. 

Fold into thirds like a letter (single fold).

Turn 90°

Roll out again until the size of a 1/2 sheet pan.

Make a double fold this time, folding both ends to the center and then folding together. 

Turn 90°

Roll out twice more, once in a single fold and the second time in a double fold, turning 90° between.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before use.

Can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen.

When ready to use, it is best to cut into quarters and roll out 1/4 at a time, keeping the remainder refrigerated so the butter doesn't soften too much.

Roll out on a floured surface to about 1/8" thickness and cut into desired shapes to fill.

For the galette I cut them into squares, put a tablespoon or so of filling in the center, wet the edges and then folded together from the points to the center. 

Bake at 400° for 15-30 minutes, depending upon the size of the pastry and the amount of filling.

For Peach Galette Filling:

8 fresh peaches

1/2  cup sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp port wine (optional, but not necessary)

Place in saucepan and cook until thickened and peaches are soft and pliable.  Filling may be made ahead and stored in refrigerator until ready to use.

This recipe could be done with any fresh fruit that is in season.  In fact...I just picked some raspberries today and I'm thinking maybe some balsamic vinegar and rosemary might be a fun combination for those.

If you try either the pastry or the fruit filling, let me know how they go and how you used them.

Happy eating!