Spring in Georgia is an absolute treat for fruit lovers like myself. There is a small window here, where you may be able to find late strawberries and early peaches at the same time! We were lucky enough to find them at the same time and location.
My husband and I decided to take an impromptu trip to one of our favorite farms in the metro Atlanta area, Southern Belle Farm. When I say this was an impromptu trip I really mean it, the husband and I were both dressed in our gym clothes from our Sunday morning workout. This is our third year visiting this beautiful farm and the first time we ever had the pleasure of picking both strawberries and peaches. SCORE!
During our visit we were able to learn more about the farm and briefly meet with Jake Carter, owner of the 5th generation farm. Jake was busy overseeing the family operation however, that didn’t stop him from greeting us with open arms and a warm smile, and even a quick picture!
Initially, upon our arrival we quickly grabbed our gallon-sized buckets and started picking (and sampling) peaches. Y’all these peaches were so flavorful, sweet and juicy, there is nothing like grabbing a peach off the tree and biting right into it. So delicious and juicy that the juices run down your forearm and drip off your elbow. YES, it’s a whole experience!
We were also able to pick strawberries during our visit. Even though this was later in the strawberry season there was no void in the crop. They had beautiful large deep red strawberries as far as the eye could see!
Every year I bring all my goodies home from Southern Belle and eat a good amount of the produce fresh however, I always try to make a yummy dessert because I know that’s how the Mister likes to eat his fruit. I mean, he doesn’t mind fresh fruit especially when he has the opportunity to pick it himself however, I can guarantee that he will eat said fruit if it’s in a cake, cobbler or pie. #truestory
Galettes are just fancy open-faced French pastries similar to a pie. I’ve had this fascination with galettes for the last two years and I have attempted to make them numerous times which resulted in epic, wet pie crust fails every time. This time I was determined to right my previous wrongs and wanted to share my tips with you too!
- Cooking The Fruit. Previously I was adding fresh fruit to the crust and attempting to cook it. However, this just won’t work because even though you will use a thickening agent like cornstarch or pie gel you will never know how much to use. If you cook the fruit beforehand you can balance the natural liquids, sugar and the thickening agent without the guesswork.
- Preheating Your Baking Sheet. THIS IS GOLD. GOLD! I was thinking about how in the world I could make sure my crust was cooked all the way through, and then it hit me! What I make homemade pizza I preheat my pizza stone for at least an hour. So I decided to try the same technique with my pie. I placed my baking sheet in the oven on the directed temperature for an hour, and rolled my dough and prepared my galette on my silicone baking sheet.
- Practice Makes Perfect. Don’t be discouraged if this doesn’t work for you the first time. Seriously, I have been working on this recipe for a couple years and I finally found the perfect technique and recipe that works for me. My hope is that your galette comes out as beautiful and delicious as mine did, and saves you time and money by getting it right the first time.
Now that we have our best practices let’s get to the recipe!
Strawberry Peach Galette
This recipe is an easy and delicious way to utilize fresh fruits after visiting your favorite orchard.
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Raspberry Rhubarb Costata
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 2 sticks very cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1/4 cup ice water
Fruit Filling
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or instant pie gel
- 1 quart fresh strawberries sliced
- 6 medium peaches peeled and sliced
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- turbinado sugar enough for sprinkling
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425 and place your desired baking sheet into the oven. Place flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor pulse to combine. Add butter to the flour mix and pulse until the butter is pea-sized (about 15-20 times). Add the ice water in a steady stream while pulsing. Keep pulsing until the dough just comes together. place dough on a well-floured surface, cut in half and form two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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For the filling, combine the sugar and cornstarch or instant pie gel in a small bowl, set aside. In a saucepan combine the strawberries, peaches, orange zest and orange juice. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 mins and add sugar mixture. Cook for an additional 2 mins or until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
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Roll one of the two pie crust onto lightly floured silicone baking mat or parchment paper into a 12-inch circle. Add half of the chilled fruit mixture onto the dough leaving a 1 1/2 inch border all the way around. Fold the border up over the filling pinching the dough together if necessary. Brush the pastry with the prepared egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
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Carefully place the pastry onto your preheated baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is browned and the filling has thickened. Allow the pastry to cool for 1-hour.