free-form nectarine galettes

This is the simple end of summer/beginning of fall treat that you have been waiting for. Forget everything you know about the challenges of pie crusts. The buttery and flaky crust is a 10-minute no-fuss dream-come-true for bakers (or wanna-bes). This recipe is so versatile that you can add any type of fruit into the mix. Get creative!

Who can resist the bubbly cinnamony-sugar scent of fall wafting all over the house? The best part is this recipe makes individual galettes so you don’t have to share!

Even though the weather here in Savannah does not feel fall-like (we’re talking 80’s and 90’s), I’m getting into autumn gear.  I broke out the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg and danced in a cloud of flour. While I may be sweating, I’m cranking up the heat and BAKING.

It has been over a month since I last posted a recipe. That makes me sad. Anyone who knows me, knows that I created this website as a way to share my creations. I would have never guessed that I would enjoy the photography portion of this hobby more than the cooking side. Trust me, I love cooking,  but I get most excited about composing, styling and photographing the food. Maybe it’s because I get to share how beautiful it looked to me with my family and friends that live far away. It’s so much more rewarding to show what you made rather than just gab about it.

The problem? It’s so damn time consuming! We all can make delicious food, but making it look photo ready, that’s a whole different ball game.  That’s why I like to make special recipes and photograph them on the weekends. However, lately, time has been limited on the weekends.

Hurricanes, vacations, feature articles, restaurant shoots, family visiting, friends hanging, house work…making lots of memories and keeping up with life has affected my cozy weekend cooking/photography sessions.

The craziest thing of all is that over the last several months, I have booked photography shoots with local restaurants. What was once my favorite thing to do at home is now my part-time gig. So even though I am not photographing the fun food I make at home, I still get to do that on a greater level. I could not be happier with where my food photography passion has brought me.

So on special days like this, when I have time to not only cook but also photograph my food, I feel such joy.

The nectarines and peaches in Savannah are off the chain. They are juicy and super plump. Since nectarine season in GA is on its way out, I decided to grab a few for this dessert. Given that it’s just me and the hubs, I chose to only make 2 galettes, but I will give you the recipe for 4 individuals or 1 large galette.

ingredients

serves: 4 individual or 1 9-inch galette

galette dough

• 1 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 stick butter, frozen
•  3 tbsp. ice water
• egg white

nectarine mixture

• 4 nectarines, ripe
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2-3 shakes cinnamon
• 1-2 shakes nutmeg
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• dash of vanilla

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the dough, mix flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl.
3. Cut up butter in chunks. Do not worry about the size, it does not matter. The goal is to keep it cold, so be careful with your hot hands.
4. Gently toss butter in flour mixture with your hands. Make it fast.
5. Dump mixture onto clean counter. Roll the butter into the flour with a rolling pin. Try to get the butter into long thin sheets. Scrap flour/butter mixture off of rolling pin with pastry scraper. Don’t stress if it sticks.
6. Put mixture back into bowl and add ice cold water. Use pastry scraper to incorporate water into mixture.
7. Dump mixture back onto the counter. It will be loose and a hot-mess. Do not stress out, it is okay. Roll it out into a rectangle. Use a pastry scraper to fold each end into the middle. Repeat these steps about 3 times.
8. Place dough onto plastic wrap and wrap in a tight rectangular bundle. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
9. Slice nectarines. Toss all nectarine mixture ingredients in a bowl with nectarine slices. Let sit until dough is out of the refrigerator.
10. Cut dough in 4 pieces and roll into a ball. Roll out each dough ball into a misshapen circle.
11. Layer nectarine slices into a circular form on top of each dough circle. Drizzle any remaining sugar syrup on top of the nectarines.
12. Form the dough over the nectarines and pinch any gaps shut. The center of the galette will be open, revealing the goodies inside (see photo above).
13. Whisk an egg white with 1 tsp. water. Brush onto crust.
14. Place galettes onto parchment paper and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Crust will be golden brown when done.
15. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, coffee or whatever you want!