Last week Mr. introduced me to a new word: procrastibaking. I feel the word alone says it all but just in case you are wondering, the Urban Dictionary has provided a definition, “the practice of baking something in order to put off doing something else you need to do.”
This Peach-Raspberry Galette is pure procrastibaking.
Strictly speaking, we didn’t need a pie. I already had more than enough unfinished projects to keep me busy for the rest of the month. I just needed to take the bushels of peaches I bought on a whim and get them processed for storage in jars and the freezer.
But, the kitchen was clean, the sun was shining, and the whirling dervishes were sleeping. I felt pulled to the freezer where both flour and lard were icy cold and ready to become a flaky pie crust. I ignored all the things on the ‘should-do’ list and put on my favorite yellow striped apron.
Ice water ready, butter and lard cubed, a bowl half full of wintery flour drifts, and some corse salt. My hands went to work and my mind became blissfully clear.
Once the crust was formed and resting I managed to eek out a bit of productivity before returning to the kitchen to prepare the fruit filling and nestle it in the gentle folds of velvety dough.
Another hour later a few more things were done and the galette sat cooling by the back door, a calm spot in the midst of the chaos my unfinished to-do list.
Procrastibaking. I’d tell you to go use it in a sentence but I think you would be better served by implementing it in your kitchen.
Peach-Raspberry Galette
Luscious summer fruit wrapped in a flaky pastry shell.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1:05 hours; Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds of perfectly ripe peaches
6 oz raspberries
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
a light sprinkle of freshly grated ginger
pie dough for a single crust, chilled
optional egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
Optional: 1 tablespoon turbinado or similar course grain sugar
Method
Slice the peaches into quarter inch crescents.
Place the peaches and raspberries in a large bowl then fold in the tapioca flour, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger.
Preheat the oven to 425 and set a parchment lined sheet pan in easy reach.
Place your pie dough on a clean lightly floured surface. Gently roll it into a large relatively circular shape. Rotate the dough between passes with the rolling pin to make sure it doesn’t stick, add flour as needed. If needed you can cut and paste (with a bit of water) to fill in any gaps. Continue rolling until the dough is about 1/8 inches thick or at least 12 inches in diameter.
Slide the rolled crust onto the center of a parchment lined sheet pan.
Turn the fruit out onto the center of your crust, leaving approximately 3 inches between the filling and the outer edge. Leave the filling in a hodgepodge or fish out the peach crescents to arrange in a fan around the top.
Begin gently folding the crust up around the fruit. As you bring the crust up it will naturally begin to pleat itself, tuck the folds in just like fabric and continue to work all the way around until all the crust is folded up and tucked in. Dust any flour back away from the fruit.
At this point you can use a pastry brush to dust off excess flour and then apply the egg wash (beat together the egg and milk) then sprinkle the crust with a few good pinches of course sugar.
Place the pie in the center of your hot oven and bake for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking for approximately 50 more minutes. The pie is done when the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden.
Note: For the pie crust, I highly recommend Kate McDermott’s recipe and technique. You can find it on her site Art of The Pie.
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