Obviously this galette would be even better in the summer, made with fresh, beautifully ripe peaches and blueberries. For some reason, though they are not yet in season, gorgeous blueberries were on sale at the supermarket this week and, since I wanted to make an Easter dinner dessert, I combined them with frozen peach slices from my freezer. Were I to make this pie again in the summer, I would have to reimagine it to include lavender, which goes well with both peaches and blueberries.
Both fruits are quite juicy so I knew that I would have to use something to absorb the liquid during baking. I usually just toss whatever fruit I am using for pie with some crushed tapioca but for some reason, as I was imagining this galette, I thought of using powdered almonds on the bottom of the crust which I thought would not only absorb the juice but would then swell and make a frangipane like additional layer. Once my mind went there, it seemed pretty obvious to make an almond meal crust rather than a regular pie crust in order to tie all the flavors together.
I was intrigued by the olive oil crust that I have linked below, similar to one that I have in my repertoire, but the original recipe contains way too much oil; I thought it had to be a typo and my attempt to do as I was told failed miserably. I had to decrease the oil by 2/3 in order for this crust to be palatable.
Internet research showed that Americans like to add cinnamon to this type of galette but I am not such a huge fan and also worried that the spice would overwhelm the almond flavor that I was trying to feature. I decided to use powdered bay leaf because I thought it would add an interesting back note to the fruit filling. I was quite pleased with the taste of the end result even though the galette was not a thing of beauty (and Stubbie actually laughed when he first saw it).
Recipe
2 cups sliced peaches
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 cups ground almonds
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp walnut oil (or just use olive oil if you don't have it)
1/2 cup warm water
Scant 1/8 tsp of ground bay leaf
First make the crust. Measure 1 cup of the ground almonds, the flour, the tablespoon of brown sugar, the salt, oils and warm water in a bowl. Using a fork, mix them together until they come together into a ball of soft dough. Refrigerate for 1/2-1 hour before using.
To prepare the filing, mix the blueberries, peaches, ground bay leaf and remaining brown sugar together. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining ground almonds and mix again.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. using your fingers, press the dough out into a circle of consistent thickness.
Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1/2 cup of ground almonds.
Mound the filling in the center of the dough and fold the edges up to make a rustic looking galette. Sprinkle the dough rim with the granulated sugar. I used colored decorating sugar in an attempt to be festive and it was a mistake.
Bake the galette at 400 for 18 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 250 and continue baking until the galette rim is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
Alow to cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Original crust recipe, here.