Mixed Summer Fruit Galette

There are some tings that get me in the mood to bake... like gorgeous fruit sitting in a basket on a counter. I wanted something quick and delicious, since my brother was visiting - and remembered my Saturn Peach Galette that I made in the Fall, and decided to use it as a launching point.

Ingredients:

1 puff pastry (that you've thawed, and had out of the fridge for 10 minutes-ish)

3 cups (approx.) pitted fruit, sliced thinly (I used nectarines, apricots and Saturn peaches.)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (depending on how cinnamon-y you like it)

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg beaten

Coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F, or 190 C - or whatever your puff pastry calls for.  (Adjust for convection oven if needed.) Line a baking sheet with baking powder.

2. Wash and slice your fruit into thin slices.

3. In a large bowl, combine them with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla.

4. Roll out your puff pastry onto your baking sheet.

5. Pour the fruit mixture onto the middle of the puff pastry, leaving about an inch around the edge.

6. Roll the edge up over the mixture.

7. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, and sprinkle the coarse sugar on top.

8. Bake in the oven to the specifications on the puff pastry.

9. Take out of oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, and enjoy warm.

Saturn Peach Upside Down Mini Cakes

Honestly, my last few baking attempts have been a bust.  There were fallen and burnt meringues - in the same batch, too much of a new kind of flour and therefore unusable cookie dough... and I'd been feeling a little deflated about my baking efforts. But then I saw this recipe, and  decided to give it a try - I'm so glad I did!

Here's what you'll need:

- muffin pan

- standing mixer

- measuring cups and/or kitchen scale

- some bowls (for measured ingredients and mixing)

Ingredients:

- 1/3 cup room temperature butter, plus 1 tbs separately (90 gr)

- 6 tsp brown sugar (the original called for light, I only had dark - I say baker's choice!)

- 4 Saturn peaches (also known as donut peaches)

- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (190 gr)

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2/3 cup sugar (130 gr)

- 1 large egg, beaten

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup buttermilk (120 ml) (Pinjenec, for any Slovene readers, író for any Hungarian readers)

Directions:

1. Spray nonstick cooking spray in your muffin tin. (I didn't have any, so I used butter - it was fine, but I'll be picking up some nonstick spray for next time.)

2. Preheat oven to 350 F (177 C).

3. Measure out ingredients.

4. Cut 2 1/2 peaches into thinnish slices (you'll need 48 slices), and 1 1/2 peaches into small cubes. 

5. Divide the 1 tbs of butter into 12 pieces, then put one in the bottom of each muffin hole.

6. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of brown sugar on top of that.

7. Place 4 peach slices in the bottom of each muffin hole.  I put them in kind of a clover shape, but you could change it to 5 slices and make it a flower, or fan them out - however you like.

8. In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

9. Using the paddle attachment on your standing mixer, cream together your sugar and (remaining 1/3 cup) butter.

10. While the mixer is going on a medium low speed, add the vanilla extract and egg.  Beat for 2-3 minutes. Your mixture will become fluffy and lighter in color.

11. While your mixer is going, add half of the flour mixture. Beat for 1 minute.

12. Pour in buttermilk, and beat for another minute. (You may need to pause mixing and scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.)

13. Add the second half of your flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

14. Remove mixing bowl from mixer. Fold in the peach chunks. 

15. Fill each muffin hole with equal amounts of batter. The original poster used an ice cream scoop, I used the small ladle from my son's kitchen set, haha! 

16. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

17. Remove from oven, allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then flip out onto cooling rack. (If yours get a little stuck like mine, gently use a knife to detach them from the side of the muffin tin.)

18. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream, or allow to cool and serve with peaches, powdered sugar, whipped cream... these little cakes are perfect on their own, but also pair well with a "friend".

And there you have it! A peachy-keen Spring or Summer treat!

Saturn Peach Galette

It must be the nesting bug (11 days and counting) combined with the longing for Fall - but I've been dying for tasty dessert that made me feel accomplished, and made my family feel loved!

We've recently gotten into quiches, so there's been more pie crust lying around, and I've also now located where the puff pastry is in the grocery store.  

Also, at the beginning of summer we were introduced to a new fruit - the Saturn/donut/flat peach, which if you ask me, is the reigning queen of all peaches.  It's lovely shades of pink and white, and has a crisp sweetness that is addictive.  

So, we bought some at the market on Friday.  Although everything from the market TASTES better, and is most likely better FOR you, it spoils so much quicker.  I had them in a bowl with some nearly-too-ripe figs, which didn't help.

I was searching for a tart, or a pie, and came across something called a galette.  I read a few recipes (I drew heaviest from here), and decided to give it a go.  It seemed pretty dummy-proof, and I had most of the ingredients, so that helped.  Apparently galettes are best with pitted fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, etc), I'm assuming because they are a little heartier fruit.  I also learned that pretty much EVERYONE'S looks great, because it's supposed to look rustic and home-made.  Score!!  Also, it had cinnamon in it, and it's rainy and cooler out, which to me screams cinnamon!!!

Here we go!

Ingredients:

1 puff pastry (that you've thawed, and had out of the fridge for 10 minutes-ish)

3 cups (approx.) Saturn peach, sliced thinly

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (depending on how cinnamon-y you like it)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg beaten

Coarse sugar

Whipped cream/mascarpone/vanilla ice cream - something yummy to top it with.

(Next time, I might add some nutmeg!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F, or 190 C.  (Adjust for convection oven if needed.)

2. Wash and slice your peaches into thin slices.

3. In a large bowl, combine them with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice.

4. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet, then roll out your puff pastry.  Because of its rectangular shape, I decided to cut the end off, and make two little tarts, too.

5. Pour the mixture into the middle of the pastry puff, leaving about 2 inches around the edges.

6. Fold up the edges.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  Just be careful not to tear it, because if you do, your yummy juices will leak out while baking.

7. Brush the egg wash on the crust, and sprinkle the coarse sugar on the crust.

8. Bake for about 35 minutes (adjust time for convection oven, if needed) - until golden brown, and fruit is bubbling.

9.  Allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes, then serve!

Tips:

- For some extra decadence, top with whipped cream.

- If making the little tarts, make sure you drizzle/add some of the sugar and cinnamon "juice".  We liked the galette better, simply because it was juicier.

- This tart is one of those things that is best served soon after making - a few hours later it was still scrumptious, but I don't know well it would do overnight.  I imagine the crust would get soggy.

It turned out totally delicious, and when I asked Dan if I should make it again, he said, "yes, every week!"  Sounds like a win to me!