A Midsummer’s Night Greeting And a Summertime Recipe to You!
It’s been many months since I’ve written a post here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been experimenting in my kitchen! With the world opening up again, I’ve been able to safely do small dinner parties. It is so satisfying to be able to cook for groups of people in person again!
Have you been enjoying the fruits of the summer? I certainly have! Especially the abundance of stone fruits I buy at the weekly farmer’s market in my Berkeley neighborhood.
Shopping at your local farmer’s market is a choice that extends far beyond what you put in your basket and bring home into your own kitchen. When you make a choice to directly support the livelihood of the farms in your region, you are choosing to participate in the local food economy rather than outsourcing to big companies who are outsourcing and then outsourcing some more. By the way, do we really need to move industry to Mars? I’d like to give Mr. Bezos his next assignment —not to another planet, no —just to his own backyard and kitchen —yes, I truly think that will do. Can we all take a collective moment to imagine him humbly growing some kale? Thank you.
Staying connected in these crazy times is imperative and our relationship to our food is an essential part of this picture. Knowing where our food comes from through growing our own and knowing our farmers is a beautiful way to support our personal connection to our communities and to our earth. With the pandemic, we have had to reckon with the reality of our interconnectedness in a profound way. We have learned that all our choices have a ripple effect. What kind of ripple do you want to create? What you do in your kitchen, where you shop, the quality of food you eat, and of course the manner in which you eat it —it all matters.
Since we are midsummer and mid stone fruit season, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate the peach! To be honest, when stone fruit season starts, I’m always excited to simply enjoy peaches ripe and raw, and it’s only after at least a month of enjoying them fresh that I can even think about cooking them!
So, we’re at that several month mark, and I’ve created a Peach Thyme Almond Galette which is a breeze to put together. It’s also gluten-free, if you wish, uses no refined sugar or dairy, and celebrates the flavors of the season, simply and deliciously. So here you are:
PEACH AND THYME ALMOND GALETTE (GF, DF, V)
INGREDEINTS
Fruit Filling:
3 cups sliced ripe peaches + nectarines (use a combination or whatever you can get)
Squeeze of lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
1-2 T coconut sugar (if desired)
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder
2-3 tsp arrowroot powder'
Gluten-free Crust:
2/3 C almond flour or almond meal
2/3 C gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free All Purpose Flour)
pinch of salt
1 tsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 C coconut oil, melted
7 T* water (see instructions)
PROCEDURE
Preheat the oven to 350F. Artfully slice stone fruit and place in a medium mixing bowl.
Add lemon juice, coconut sugar, vanilla, salt, thyme and coconut oil. Mix gently to combine.
Sprinkle in the arrowroot powder and mix gently to incorporate. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flours, salt and sugar. Add in coconut oil and almond extract and mix thoroughly to combine.
Slowly add in the water, a few tablespoons as a time, only add as much as is needed to form the dough so it holds together. If you add too much water, add additional almond flour to soak up the excess moisture. the dough should easily form a ball without sticking to your hands.
Form the dough into a flat ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the dough with another piece of parchment and press to flatten.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Then peel back and remove the top piece of parchment.
Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough and fold in the sides to form the galette.
Brush the galette crust with melted coconut oil and sprinkle on more coconut sugar along the edges of the dough.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the galette edges turn golden brown.
Allow the galette to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and servings.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
ENJOY!