Gluten Free Nectarine Almond Gallete

Summer desserts, summer fruits, "Summertime"...cue the Fresh Prince music.  I love summer and all its summer glory, the smell of sunscreen, BBQ and eatin' outside. I enjoy the fact that our little coastal town comes alive with vacationers riding beach cruisers through our neighborhood, having a cookout or listening to a band from a block party down the street. However, as much as I love this time of year I am actually excited for the fall. Something about the first chill in the air and the idea of wearing boots  and scarves makes me smile. Still, summer fruits are in abundance and what better way to celebrate the season with a dessert full of ripe nectarines paired with almonds with the added bonus of it being gluten free. Eat your heart out summer. This one is for you! 

Lets bust out a crust. I used Cup 4 Cup Flour. This is a wonderful product if you don't want to make your own gluten free flour. You can basically use this flour exactly how you would in any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. The flour is amazing to work with and make a very crisp light crust. I am totally sold!

Once the dough comes together it needs to be chilled for at least 30 minutes. This can be done ahead so that you can get out of your kitchen and get your nails done, sit by the pool and admire them. Just a thought.

Bright nectarines meet up with almond meal and sugar. There is something about pairing nectarines with almonds. It is a match.

Makes sure you have enough crust for the edges to fold over. I should have given myself a bit more room, but when folded over it still ended up just fine. The best part about a gallete is it's rustic forgiveness. 

Sliced almonds give texture and an extra toasty nutty flavor. Serve warm or room temp. You could also top with some vanilla ice cream or yogurt, but really a strong cup of coffee and a warm summer breeze is all you need. Enjoy, gluten free or not. 

Gluten Free Nectarine Almond Gallete

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup flour (to make it Gluten free I used Cup 4 Cup flour so the ratio was exactly the same if I were using regular flour) 

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

4 tablespoons cold water

Filling

2 tablespoons ground almond or almond meal

1 tablespoon flour (again I used the gluten free flour)

1/4 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon sugar

10 ounces galette dough, rolled into about a 14 inch circle and chilled

4 large ripe nectarines, skin on

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

To make the crust combine the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl. Cut in the six tablespoons of butter with a pastry cutter and mix until the dough looks like a coarse cornmeal. Add the cold water over the mixture and with a rubber spatula pull the mixture together. Gather the dough into a ball / disk and gently knead it together either in the bowl or on the counter, just for a few seconds. If the dough is still pretty dry and not coming together add one tablespoon of ice water at a time until combined. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before rolling the dough out.  I let mine sit over night. 

When you are ready to roll out the dough for the crust take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to rolling, making sure it is still cold. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 14 inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and then refrigerated the rolled out disk for about 1/2 of an hour. 

To make the galette, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the ground almond meal, flour and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of sugar together. Remove the rolled crust from the fridge and sprinkle the almond mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving about a 1 and 1/2 inch boarder around the edge, uncoated. Cut the nectarines into about six wedges. Arranged the fruit skin side down in concentric circles on dough making sure they tightly packed. Leave the boarder bare. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar over the fruit.  Fold the boarder of dough up and over itself and then crimping it down over the fruit. Attempt to minimize breaks as the fruit juice will then leak through. Brush the border with the melted butter and then sprinkles with two more tablespoons of sugar. 

Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 45 to 50 minutes, until the crust is browned and the edges are caramelized. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the galette with about 10 to 15 minutes before the baking time ends so they get toasted. Once the galette is done remove from the oven and when you can transfer to a cooling rack to help keep the bottom from getting soggy. Let cool for at least 20 minutes prior to serving. We served ours at room temperature and it was just perfect. The crust stayed nice and crisp and even the next day it was pefect.  Enjoy!