A Farewell to Summer Stone Fruit
If you’ve been tracking me on IG, croustades have been on my mind and I’ve been trying to figure out the perfect recipe. I initially was thinking maybe an exotic fruit or maybe going with a classic pear or apple. It hit me that as we are saying farewell to summer, this croustade would be an ode to all the luscious stone fruits we’ve enjoyed all summer long. Interesting tidbit that I learned, a croustade and galette are one in the same. One is French and the other Italian. Croustades come in both sweet and savory versions and in this particular croustade, I’ve paired a nutty, sesame seed crust in rustic form with beautifully laid fresh summer fruits. Top it off with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and let’s send summer off in the best way possible!
Stone fruit croustade
ingredients (PASTRY)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4” cubes
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
ingredients (FILLING)
2 1/2 pounds of mixed stone fruit, cut into 1/4” slices
*For this recipe, I used Fredericksburg peaches, Pearlicious White nectarines, Emerald Beaut plumcots, and plums
1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp almond meal flour
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small bits
Whipping cream (for brushing)
1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
STEPS (Pastry)
Whisk flour, sugar, lemon peel, and salt in medium mixing bowl.
Add butter and using fingertips, rub in butter until a coarse meal texture is formed. Pour 1/4 cup heavy cream and toss with fork until large moist clumps form. Add additional heavy cream if the dough mixture feels dry.
Using your hands gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a round disk about 8-10” in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour. (Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.)
STEPS (FILLING)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine 1/4 cup of sugar, almond meal and flour in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until evenly combined.
Roll out pastry on sheet of floured parchment paper to 14” round. Transfer crust on parchment paper to a large baking sheet.
Spread the sugar and flour mixture evenly over the dough leaving a 2” border.
Arrange the stone fruit slices on top of the dough. Add the lemon juice over the fruit and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar over the fruit. Dot the fruit with butter.
Fold the edge of the dough up and over the fruit to create a 1” crust. Brush the edges of the crust with whipping cream and sprinkle sesame seeds around the crust.
Bake the croustade until the filling bubbles and the crust is lightly browned for about 1 hour. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
