Nectarine & Marzipan Galette

Galettes, also known as free-form pies or crostata, have to be just about one of the easiest things to make, it is in their nature to be rustic, so there's no need to worry about trying to make it look neat and pretty; when it comes to a galette it is all about the flavour. They lend themselves well to pretty much any kind of fruit, so are the kind of thing that can be baked all year round; but are particularly good in Summer when there is an abundance of stone fruits and fresh berries. I opted to use nectarines, though peaches or plums would work just as well; and I couldn't resist adding a bit of marzipan to the topping as almonds pair so well with stone fruits. I like to use cornmeal pastry for my galette crusts, as it adds a nice bit of extra crunch and deals better with the juice from the fruit. A perfectly crisp, golden crust, filled with juicy, sweet nectarines topped with marzipan crumble - heavenly.

The galette was so good that Damian and I managed to polish off half of it between the two of us within minutes of me finishing taking photos...Damian declared it one of his favourite things that I have ever baked, and I am inclined to agree with him; it is incredibly satisfying and moreish, and also not too sweet - which makes it very easy to eat far too much of it! I served what was left of it after our feeding frenzy with my fresh ginger and honey ice cream, which was all kinds of amazing...but the galette is also (obviously) good enough to eat just on it's own, and is delicious hot or cold. It is best eaten fresh, though will keep for up to a couple of days in an airtight container and can be reheated in a low oven.

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Nectarine & Marzipan Galette

Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Pastry

• 220 g (1 + ¾ cups + 1 tbsp) plain flour
• 30 g (scant ¼ cup) fine cornmeal or semolina
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 130 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) cold unsalted butter
• 1 medium egg

Filling

• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp cornmeal or semolina
• 4-5 large nectarines
• 3 tbsp cornflour cornstarch
• 4 tbsp sugar

Marzipan Topping

• 100 g (3.5 oz) marzipan
• 15 g (2 tbsp) ground almonds
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 15 g (1 tbsp) cold unsalted butter

To Finish

• 1 beaten egg
• demarera sugar

Instructions

• To make the pastry: Place the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs, alternatively, rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips. Add the egg and mix until the pastry comes together. Form into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix together the flour, ground almonds, sugar and cornmeal and set aside.
• To make the marzipan topping: Place the marzipan, ground almonds, flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and blitz until it forms crumbs.
• Stone the nectarines and cut into thin slices, place in a large bowl, sprinkle over the cornflour and sugar and gently toss together.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a large (approx 32cm/12.5in) circle, slide it onto the prepared baking sheet. Scatter the flour, almond, sugar and cornmeal mix over the pastry, leaving a 5cm/2in border around the edge. Spread the nectarines over the top, discarding any liquid. Scatter the marzipan topping over the nectarines.
• Fold the pastry border over the topping, brush with beaten egg and scatter over some demarera sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes until crisp; you may need to cover the galette with foil after 20 minutes or so to stop it colouring too much, but remove the foil for the final five minutes of baking to allow any liquid to evaporate. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

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