It is finally starting to feel like summer in San Francisco (damn those Indian Summers!) and as a result, all those beautiful summer fruit cobblers, pies and tarts that are always featured on the covers of Gourmet magazine are suddenly calling my name. AC and I usually prefer to eat our fruit fresh, but gosh -- throw a girl colorful pages and pages of gorgeous fruit tarts and bubbling cobblers, and you've got something she can't resist.





My mom would make galettes all the time growing up, and I used to not care for them that much. Back then, I much rather preferred a gooey ice cream sundae or an over-the-top birthday cake instead. But I guess I'm evolving (errr, maturing??) because over these past couple of years, I have grown to love food that is simple, understated and effortless.



A fruit galette is no exception. It's like a pie, but much more rustic and unstructured. I love how easy it is -- just throw some fresh fruit on pie dough, and you have this beautiful "tart" that looks like it took hours to make (well, maybe not mine...). The crust is crispy and flaky; the fruit filling juicy and not too sweet. I think I've just found my new obsession. More variations on this galette coming soon...:D





Nectarine and Cherry Galette
Recipe adapted from Rachel's Mother

1 C flour
1/2 t salt
8 T unsalted butter, refrigerated
4-5 T ice water

Peaches, berries, plums, etc
1-2 T flour
2 T sugar (or to taste)

Combine flour and salt and cut in butter until pieces are pea-sized. Add water 1 T at a time until the dough is moist but NOT sticky. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 20 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and prepare fruit (slice, pit, etc)

Roll dough into a 12 inch diameter, and transfer to a baking sheet. Leaving a 2 inch border, sprinkle dough with flour and 1 T sugar. Arrange fruit on top and sprinkle with remaining 1-2 T sugar, or to taste. Fold dough over the fruit about 2 inches to form a rim. Make sure there are no cracks where the juice can leak out. Sprinkle rim with a little bit of sugar.

Bake until well-browned and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature, preferably with ice cream.