Living the stone fruit life

Can’t stop, won’t stop with the stone fruit! I love mid to late summer for that reason – peaches, pluots (personal fave), nectarines, apricots… the list goes on and on and on. It’s definitely worth it to brave the oven heat and do some summer baking when there is stone fruit involved.

A food nerd fun fact for you! Did you know that peaches and almonds are related? What we think of as almond nuts are actually the hard-shelled fruit of the almond tree, which is in the prunus family (we’re getting real food-nerdy up in here). That’s the same family that also includes most stone fruit-producing trees and shrubs, like peaches, cherries, plums, and nectarines! Food is so cool.

Not only is it awesome that almonds and peaches are fam, but they also are a taste pair made in heaven. Throw in some apricots and meyer lemon zest and have yourself a party – I always taste things when I’m cooking, but very rarely do I actually say out loud to myself, “DAMN that’s good!!”… however, in the making of this meyer lemon and almond frangipane, that is exactly what I did.

Barefoot in my kitchen at 6 am (because as we’ve previously discussed, I often end up baking early not only because of time constraints the rest of the day, but also because I love it for its quietude and peaceful mindfulness), I taste-tested the frangipane to determine if I had the right balance between lemon and almond and practically yelled, “OMG THIS IS DELICIOUS!” Not to toot my own horn, or anything, ha! Sometimes I surprise even myself.

Apricots lend themselves especially well to baking – unlike most other stone fruit that can be eaten out of hand over the sink, I’m less partial to snacking on apricots. BUT – when you bake them, they take on greater flavor and are just delicious; even if they’re not perfectly ripe when you use them.

Refined sugar free, grain free, gluten free, paleo depending on your definition (I have some paleo friends who eat butter, some who don’t, so you do you!) – a heap of summer stone fruit, fragrant meyer lemon and almond, and a kitchen that smells amazing. What’s not to love?

Apricot and Peach Galette with Meyer Lemon Almond Frangipane

A Wait are Those Cookies original! Adapted from my Rhubarb Frangipane tart, here. Grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free and possibly paleo, depending on your definition. Definitely delicious, perfect for the late summer glut of stone fruit. Yield: 1 galette, serves… 2. For dessert & breakfast, duh. Just kidding – probably serves 4 to 5.

For the galette dough:

• 1.5 c almond flour (not meal; you want the finer flour variety)
• 1/2 c tapioca flour
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 6 tbsp salted butter, chopped
• 1 egg
• zest of 2 meyer lemons (or regular lemons)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

In a food processor or high-power blender (I used a food processor), pulse almond flour, tapioca starch, salt, and butter to combine until it looks like coarse meal. Add in egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and pulse just until combined. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

For the frangipane:

• 1/2 c almond flour
• 1/4 c maple syrup
• zest of 2 meyer lemons
• 1 tbsp meyer lemon juice
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 c roasted unsalted almond butter

In a food processor, combine almond flour, maple, and lemon zest. Pulse once to combine. Add in lemon juice, eggs, vanilla and almond extract, and pulse once or twice, until combined. Add in almond butter, and blend again until smooth. If the frangipane seems too sticky, add 1-2 tbsp of maple to loosen it; if it’s too loose, add a few tbsp of almond flour. Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.

Assembly:

• 2 large peaches, sliced
• 6 apricots, sliced
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch
• zest of one meyer lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• beaten egg, for egg wash
• 2 tsp coconut sugar for sprinkling

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, toss peaches and apricots with tapioca starch and lemon zest, and vanilla and set aside momentarily.

Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, keeping the circle to about 1/4″ thickness. Peel off the top piece of parchment, and slide the rolled out dough on its parchment onto a baking sheet. Top with the frangipane, spreading it carefully in order to not rip or crack the dough.

Add sliced peaches & apricots, in whatever pattern you like! Begin folding up the sides, creasing them together as you go – if the dough is cracking, that’s okay (you can crimp the cracks back together; remember: galettes are forgiving and rustic!); you can use the bottom piece of parchment to help fold up the sides. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle a little coconut sugar around the sides. Dot with butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until edges are golden brown — mine came out just fine at 37 minutes, so check accordingly. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide the whole galette onto a cooling rack to let it cool completely (it’s fine to leave it on the parchment paper on the cooling rack, I don’t find that it makes it soggy). Serve with your fave ice cream or whatever of choice! Keeps well covered in foil on the counter for a day or in the fridge overnight; mine didn’t last longer than about 2 days so I can vouch for it at least that long!