Quick and Simple...Strawbery-Peach Gallette

 When peaches are in season, there’s nothing better than a fresh peach pie. But if you only have a few choice specimens to use up, not quite enough to fill a deep-dish pie plate, or if you’re lacking in the pie plate department entirely, a free-form galette is the perfect summer solution. Without a need for a pie plate (or crimping skills) a galette comes together in no time, using the best fruits in season.

To make a galette, simply roll enough pastry for a single crust on a lightly floured surface or a piece of parchment to a 10-inch circle. (There’s no need to be precise – it can be bigger, just make sure there’s enough for an inch or so around the edge to fold over.)

Toss your sliced peaches, plums, berries, apples, or whatever you want to fill your pie with with some sugar and flour – mix the two together first to get rid of any lumps. Pile it on the pastry, keeping in mind the fruit will shrink, and then fold the edges over, pressing wherever it wants to fold, to keep the juices from spilling out. The best part? However you do it, the imperfection of a galette makes it look wonderfully rustic, even if you’ve never made a pie before. Serve warm, in wedges, topped with ice cream or whipped cream. Happy summer!

Peach & Strawberry Galette
Pastry:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/4-1/3 cup ice-cold water
Filling:
3 large peaches, sliced or chopped
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
Make the pastry: In a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and use a fork, pastry blender, wire whisk or the “pulse” motion of the food processor to blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with lumps of fat no bigger than a pea.
Drizzle the minimum amount of water over the mixture and stir until the dough comes together, adding a little more a bit at a time if you need it. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic and let it rest on the countertop or in the fridge for 20 minutes.
When you’re ready to bake, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the fruit and toss it about to coat. Dump in a pile in the middle of the pastry, and spread it out leaving an inch border around the edge.
Fold the edge of the pastry up around the fruit, folding it wherever it wants to. If you like, brush the edge of the pastry with cream or milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden. Serves 8.