White Peach and Lemon Thyme Galette

By vvvanessa • August 25, 2011 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: I'm the person who generally crinkles her nose in skepticism when it comes to rosemary or basil on a dessert menu. But a couple of years ago, while at the market shopping for peaches I needed for a summer fruit bake-off at work, I stopped and inhaled a breath of lemon thyme, and something in my baker brain clicked. This tart is simple, light, summery dessert that's best served warm. - vvvanessa - vvvanessa

Food52 Review: Peaches, honey, and lemon thyme combine to make a deliciously sweet filling for a tart that’s enrobed in a tender buttery crust. I had to substitute yellow peaches for the white, so use whichever are the most fragrant peaches you can find. A generous amount of lemon thyme is needed to infuse the honey with it's flavor. If you don't have lemon thyme, you could substitute lemon verbena, lemon balm, or lemon zest. The crust came out a bit shaggy around the edges which worked nicely for the rustic elegance of a galette. The honeyed crème fraîche is a perfect tangy counterpoint to the sweetness of the filling; it really elevates the tart to a company worthy dessert. Thumbs up for a lovely recipe. - hardlikearmour - hardlikearmour

Serves 6

1/3 cup honey
several sprigs of fresh lemon thyme
2 large white peaches, peeled and sliced into wedges about 1/4-inch thick
2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 mimutes, plus an additional 2 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup ice water
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk or water
1 cup crème fraîche

In a small saucepan, bring the honey and thyme to a boil, then remove from heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Gently toss the peaches with 2 teaspoons of the flour to coat thoroughly, then toss them with 2 tablepoons of the honey. Set the peaches aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the cold flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or forks until the mixture looks like slightly chunky wet sand.
Using a fork, stir in 5 tablespoons of water to bring the dough together. You might need to add in another 2 or 3 tablepoons of water, but be careful not to add too much; the dough will leave some unincorporated crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, and the dough itself should not feel at all wet.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and briefly work the dough by hand to mix the crumbs into the dough. The dough should not look smooth and completely homogeneous; you want to see discernible bits of butter.
Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Roll out the dough to a circle roughly 14 to 16 inches across and transfer it to the center of a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Pile the peaches in the center of dough so that there is about a 3-inch border of dough surrounding the fruit.
With lightly floured fingertips, create the galette by bringing up the edges of the dough up and over the edge of the fruit. Overlap the folds and gently pinch them together; continue working around the fruit until there you've formed a little flat volcano of dough with the fruit visible in the mouth of it.
Lightly whisk the egg yolk with the milk or water, and brush it over the dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the dough is golden and the fruit begins to soften a bit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Mix 2 tablespoons of the thyme-infused honey with the crème fraîche. Serve a warm slice of the galette with a generous dollop of the crème fraîche.