8 Recipes To Make Summer Peaches Your Entire Personality
A completely reasonable amount of peach content
Friends, hi!
I hope this Monday (and the very first day of June!) finds you well.
Will and I spent much of the weekend building what we’re calling the Little Free Bakery Box that will live outside The Bakehouse Texas. Now, when I say we built it, I should clarify that Will did the actual building while I contributed in the ways currently available to me: holding a baby, feeding a baby, and occasionally bringing Will a cold drink as moral support.
Still, the bakery box is coming together and I should probably catch you up on all things The Bakehouse Texas soon. There’s progress (and a September re-opening I’m really looking forward to) even if it moves at the speed of postpartum these days.
Now, a few weeks back I mentioned my great affection for the little peach tree growing out front of the big house in Bellville. After years of surviving Texas freezes wrapped in a moving blanket and duct tape (a highly sophisticated orchard management system, lol), the tree finally decided to reward our efforts with exactly seven peaches.
Seven is a bounty for my definitely-not-green thumbs, though not enough fruit to preserve a legacy or bake into a deep dish pie. Seven small peaches just happens to be the perfect amount of a peach galette, the free-form, casual cousin to pie. Today’s recipe offering is a flaky butter crust folded up over spiced peaches (ground ginger is key here), and dotted with sliced almonds that toast along with the crust.
But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few ways to let this summer’s peaches hold a majority stake in your personality. These are tabs worth keeping open for a few weeks and I hope you find a few recipes to carry into summer!
This Summer’s Peach Crisp is a take on this apple crisp recipe from early internet days (2008, goodness gracious). The key is the egregious amounts of buttery oat topping, and the shallow quarter sheet pan that helps the peach slices bake down to jammy. As expected, vanilla ice cream is mandatory.
Peach Blueberry Pie: because peaches and blueberries were just meant to find each other. The blueberries add a jewel-toned purple hue to the peach pie and just the right balance of fruit sweetness.
Peach and Cream Scones The magic of a cream scone is that there’s no fussing with cutting cold butter into flour. The cream does all the heavy lifting, bringing both richness and moisture to the dough. Add sweet summer peaches and you've got a tender little weekend worthy treat that feels far more impressive than the effort required.
Peach and Cardamom Lemonade I went through a lemonade phase my first summer in New Orleans and for good reason. The humidity had me at a constant glow and I had a balcony in the French Quarter that just begged for a daily afternoon sip and see. This recipe blended with fresh peaches and bright cardamom is a sleeper hit and a perfect use of peaches that may be just past their prime.
Peach and Orange Flower Old Fashioneds with just enough floral sweetness to be a lovely end to a long summer day.
Watermelon Peach Caprese Salad summer fruit + summer fruit + CHEESE! It’s juicy, salty, fresh, and a very nice summer BBQ contribution!
Apple Fennel Pistachio Salad Ok hear me out: sub apple slices for thinly sliced, slightly firm peaches in this salad. The textures of this salad alone are a delight!
Karlee’s Peach Butter One of my favorite recipes from photographer and peach enthusiast Karlee Flores. If you find yourself with a surplus of peaches, especially late into the summer months, this is the perfect transition into fall.
Peach Galette
A galette is unfussy, a little rustic (on purpose), and lets those peak summer peaches, along with a little spice, do most of the heavy lifting.
If you’re going to make one, I’ll gently insist you serve it warm with ice cream and plans for a second slice.
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ cup sliced almonds
14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup ice water
For the filling:
6–8 peaches (about 2 pounds), sliced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
For baking:
¼ cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small bits
1 egg + a splash of milk or water (for egg wash)
Let’s make it:
Start with the crust. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt, sugar, and sliced almonds until the almonds are mostly broken down. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse, crumbly meal with some pea-sized bits of butter throughout.
Drizzle in the ice water and pulse just until the dough begins to come together into a shaggy mass. It won’t be smooth and that’s exactly right.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gather it into a disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This rest helps the flour hydrate and the butter firm up again, which means a flakier crust later.
When you’re ready to bake, roll the chilled dough into a rough 14–15 inch circle. No need for perfection here - craggy edges are part of the charm. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined, 10-inch, oven-safe skillet. (You could also use a sheet pan here. The skillet just helps the galette to keep its round shape.)
In a large bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and ginger until the fruit is glossy and well coated.
Pile the peaches in the center, leaving a 2–3 inch border around the edges.
Fold the edges of the dough up and over the fruit, pleating as you go. It should look rustic and relaxed.
Brush the crust edges with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the sliced almonds and sugar for crunch and sparkle. Dot the peaches with the butter.
Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.
Let the galette rest for at least 15–20 minutes before slicing so the juices can settle (this part requires restraint, I know).
Serve warm slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, maybe eaten standing at the counter in bare feet. Or on the porch, if you’ve got one.
That’s all from me this week, friends.
May your peaches be ripe, your galettes rustic, and your vanilla ice cream perfectly melty.
I’ll see you next week!
xo Joy
I’m so hungry now!!
I don’t know how I lost you! Never knew you were having a baby! Congratulations! Thank you for the recipe I will be making it soon! God bless!!