California Peach Galette with Mascarpone Cream and Sugared Almond Crust
Ingredients
Method
- Add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Scatter the cold butter cubes over the dry ingredients and pulse just until the butter is broken up into pea-size pieces; a few larger chunks are fine.
- Add the lemon juice and the chilled mascarpone, then pulse several times until the mixture looks like damp sand.
- With the machine running, drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons of ice water and process just until the dough starts to clump and form a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead it a few times to bring it together.
- Pat the dough into a flat disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Chill until the dough is firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes total.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick; perfect edges are not necessary.
- Transfer the rolled dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread the mascarpone cream over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border clear around the edges.
- Arrange the peach slices over the cream in an overlapping pattern, keeping the same border.
- Fold the exposed border of dough up and over the filling, pleating and pressing gently as you go to create a rustic crust.
- Brush the dough border with the egg wash, then press the sliced almonds onto the egg-washed crust.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center peaches are tender, the crust is golden brown, and the almonds are lightly toasted.
- Cool the galette on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
- Dust the almond crust generously with powdered sugar, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Notes
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Let us know how it was!Why You’ll Love This Peach Galette
I have a confession to make. This peach galette is what I make when I want pie-level wow without pie-level effort. It’s the “lazy pie” of summer, and honestly, I’m not ashamed of it. You get the flaky, buttery crust, the jammy fruit filling, that whole gorgeous rustic look, and you skip the crimping, the lattice, and the pretty pie plate.
Here’s the thing: a galette is a free-form tart. You just roll the dough, pile on your filling, and fold the edges up however they land. My version hides a little secret inside. There’s a layer of mascarpone cream spiked with fresh ginger underneath those peaches. The crust itself is made with mascarpone too, which gives it a tenderness you don’t get from a standard all-butter crust alone. And the whole thing gets a shower of powdered sugar over an almond-studded edge.
The result is a summer stone fruit dessert that tastes like something from a French bakery, but you can absolutely pull it off on a Tuesday night. It’s a rustic peach galette with a golden, crispy crust and a juicy, sweet-tart center that pairs perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients for Peach Galette
This recipe has four little components, but none of them are complicated. You’re building a few layers of flavor, and I promise it’s worth the tiny bit of extra prep. You might already have most of these things in your fridge and pantry.
For the dough, you’ll need all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, fine sea salt, and cold unsalted butter. The two stars here are fresh Meyer lemon juice and chilled mascarpone cheese, which go right into the food processor with the butter. The mascarpone makes the dough incredibly easy to work with, almost like a shortbread, and the lemon brightens things up.
The cream filling is a simple mixture of softened mascarpone, powdered sugar, finely grated fresh ginger, and a tiny pinch of salt. It’s tangy, sweet, and has that lovely warm zing from the ginger. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the peaches.
For the fruit, you want about four medium ripe peaches (around 1 1/2 pounds). I’ll talk more about picking them in the tips section, but ripe but firm is the goal. The peaches get tossed with more Meyer lemon juice, powdered sugar, a little cornstarch to thicken their juices, vanilla bean paste, a drop of almond extract, and a bit more fresh and ground ginger.
Finally, for the crust and finishing, you’ll need an egg beaten with a splash of water for the egg wash, a full cup of sliced almonds (California-grown are my favorite, they’re the best), and more powdered sugar for dusting. That’s it. No fussy equipment needed, just a baking sheet and some parchment paper.
How to Make Galette Dough
If you have a food processor, this comes together in about five minutes. If you don’t, no worries. You can cut the cold butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or even two forks in a large mixing bowl. The technique is the same, you just want to work quickly so the butter stays cold.
The secret to a flaky pie dough is cold butter. When little pieces of butter melt in the hot oven, they release steam, which creates those delicate, airy layers. So keep everything chilled. I’m talking cold butter from the fridge, and you even chill the mascarpone. I know it feels fussy, but it’s the only real secret here.
In the food processor, you start by pulsing the flour, powdered sugar, and salt together. Then you scatter the cold butter cubes over the top and pulse until the butter is broken into pea-size pieces. A few larger chunks are totally fine, they’re what create those wonderful pockets of flakiness.
Next, you add the lemon juice and chilled mascarpone, pulsing until the whole thing looks like damp sand. Then, with the machine running, you drizzle in a tablespoon or two of ice water, just until the dough starts to clump and form a ball. You might not need all the water, so add it slowly. Turn it out onto a floured surface, knead it a few gentle times to bring it together, and pat it into a flat disc.
Wrap that disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. This chill time is crucial because it relaxes the gluten and re-solidifies the butter, which makes the dough infinitely easier to roll. Take the dough straight from the fridge to a lightly floured counter, and it will roll out like a dream into your very own peach gallette crust.
How to Make a Peach Galette
Now for the fun part. This is the “make it look rustic” stage, where perfection is officially not the goal. The more free-form, the better it looks. So take a deep breath and embrace the imperfections here.
Step 1: Roll out the dough.
Get your oven preheating to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll your chilled dough into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick. Rest assured, perfect edges are not necessary. In fact, the more lopsided, the more charming it looks when it’s all folded up.
Step 2: Make the cream filling.
While the dough is out, quickly stir together the softened mascarpone, powdered sugar, and grated fresh ginger for the cream. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, just combined. Transfer your rolled-out dough to the prepared baking sheet. It’s totally okay if it hangs over the edges a little. Now, spread that creamy mascarpone mixture over the center of the dough, leaving a clear 1-inch border all the way around. This barrier of creamy, tangy goodness is what makes this galette so special.
Step 3: Arrange the peaches and fold.
This is where the peaches come in. If your peaches are super juicy, give the slices a quick pat with a paper towel before arranging them. Then, lay the slices over the cream in a pretty overlapping pattern, keeping that same border clear. You want them snug but not piled too high. Overloading it is how you end up with a soggy bottom. Next, take that exposed border of dough and fold it up and over the filling, pleating and pressing gently as you go. It should look a little messy, like a rough, beautiful blanket.
Step 4: Egg wash, almonds, and bake.
Brush the folded dough border generously with the egg wash. This is what gives it that gorgeous, glossy, golden-brown color. Then, press a big handful of sliced almonds right onto that egg-washed crust. They’ll toast up in the oven and turn into this incredible, crunchy, almost candied shell. It’s my favorite part.
Slide the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You’re looking for a deep golden-brown crust and a center where the peaches are tender and their juices are bubbling up. Let it cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before you pull it off. Then, while it’s still warm, dust the whole almond crust generously with powdered sugar. It’ll melt into the nuts a little, creating that beautiful, snow-dusted look.
Peach Galette Tips and Troubleshooting
Here are the things I wish someone had told me the very first time I made a galette. These little details make all the difference between a good galette and a spectacular one.
- Choose ripe but firm peaches. At the store or farmers market, give them a gentle squeeze. You want them to yield slightly, like a ripe avocado, and they should smell peachy and sweet. Avoid anything mushy or with a green background near the stem. Freestone peaches are easier to slice, but any ripe peach will work.
- Don’t over-macerate the fruit. Mix your peach slices with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon, then use them right away. If they sit for too long, they’ll release all their juice into the bowl, and you’ll be left with soggy fruit and dry dough.
- Pat your peaches dry. If your sliced peaches look super juicy after you cut them, blot them with a paper towel. Less moisture means a crispier bottom crust. I can’t stress this enough.
- Don’t overload the galette. It’s tempting to pile on every last peach slice, but resist. Too much fruit means the center won’t bake through, and the dough will stay soggy. Stick to the recipe amount.
Peach Galette Variations
Once you get the hang of this, the possibilities are pretty much endless. It’s a fantastic base recipe to play with.
Other stone fruit. This recipe is just as amazing with nectarines, plums, apricots, or a mix of all of them. Cherries are glorious in here too. If you use a different fruit, just keep the same amount (about 1 1/2 pounds) and the same general prep. For a nectarine galette, you won’t even need to peel anything.
Add some berries. You can replace up to 20% of the stone fruit with fresh blueberries or blackberries. They’ll add a lovely pop of color and a little extra tartness, but they also throw off a lot of juice, so don’t add more than that.
Change the texture. If you want a little extra crunch on top, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of turbinado sugar over the egg-washed crust before you add the almonds. It creates a wonderfully crunchy, caramelized shell. You can totally skip this if you don’t have it on hand.
My No-Fail Soggy Bottom Fix
Here’s the #1 insider secret: The cornstarch in the peach filling is your best friend. It thickens the peach juices as they bake, so they don’t just soak into the bottom of the crust. Another layer of defense is the mascarpone cream; it acts as a barrier and a flavor booster. And don’t forget to pat those peaches dry before you arrange them. That’s the holy trinity of a crisp bottom.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Serving
One of the best things about this galette is how flexible it is. You can prep parts of it ahead of time and still get that fresh-from-the-oven magic.
Make the dough ahead. The galette dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to roll it out, just let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes to take the chill off. You can also freeze the dough disc for up to 3 months if you’re planning ahead.
Bake it fresh. I truly think this galette is best on the day it’s baked. The crust is at its crispiest, and the peaches are perfectly juicy. If you want to get ahead, you can assemble the entire unbaked galette, wrap it well, and freeze it for up to 2 to 3 months. When you’re ready, bake it straight from the freezer, just add about 10 extra minutes to the cooking time.
Storing leftovers. If you do have leftovers (which is rare in my house), cover them and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The crust won’t be quite as crisp, but it’ll still be delicious cold. I’m not above sneaking a cold slice for breakfast.
Reheating. To bring a little life back to a leftover slice, reheat it in a 350°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Do not, under any circumstances, microwave it. The microwave will turn your lovely crisp crust into a sad, soggy mess. And nobody wants that.
What to serve with it. A scoop of good vanilla ice cream is the classic pairing and for good reason. The cold, creamy vanilla against the warm, spiced fruit and buttery crust is pure summer. A dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream is also lovely if you want to keep things lighter.
Peach Galette FAQ
When you pull yours from the oven, with the almonds toasted to a deep gold and the peach juices bubbling up around the edges, I hope you feel that tiny surge of pride. It looks like you spent all afternoon on it. But you and I will know the secret. It’s the lazy pie, and it’s the best kind of summer dessert there is. If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it! Feel free to share your rustic peach galette photos with me over on Pinterest, I’m always looking for some baking inspiration. Happy baking!
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