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 a simple, light, summery dessert that's best served warm. —vvvanessa
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: vvvanessa is a recreational baker in Berkeley, CA who is constantly inspired by new ingredients.
WHAT: A fragrant summer tart that's sure to be the centerpiece of your next dinner party.
HOW: Toss peaches with honey and lemon thyme, wrap in a flaky dough, and serve with a dollop of honeyed crème fraîche.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Finally, a dessert that incorporates fresh herbs without making us feel like we're eating a bar of soap. Instead of overpowering the galette, the thyme amplifies the sweet honey and the tart peaches. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the filling comes enveloped in a wonderfully buttery crust. We'll have seconds, please. —A&M
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Ingredients
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1/3 cup
honey
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10 to 15
sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, or regular thyme if you can't find it
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3 to 4
large white peaches, each peeled and sliced into wedges
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2 cups
all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 15 mimutes, plus an additional 2 teaspoons
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2 teaspoons
granulated sugar
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1/4 teaspoon
table salt
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10 tablespoons
very cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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1/2 cup
ice water
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1
egg yolk
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1 tablespoon
milk or water
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1 cup
crème fraîche
Directions
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In a small saucepan, bring the honey and thyme just to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
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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.
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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.
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Using a fork, stir in 5 tablespoons of water to bring the dough together. You might need to add in another 2 or 3 tablespoons 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.
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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.
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Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 400º F. On a lightly floured surface, 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 2-inch border of dough surrounding the fruit. You can stack the fruit quite high if you like.
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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 lightly mounded volcano of dough with the fruit visible in the mouth of it.
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Lightly whisk the egg yolk with the milk or water, and brush it over the dough. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is golden and the fruit begins to soften a bit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until it's just warm.
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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.
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