Melanie Johnson's kitchen garden doesn’t provide an abundance of peaches, but enough to make this simple, flavoursome galette – with a superb sorbet and almond brittle to accompany it.
Ingredients
- 4 peaches
- 6 strawberries
- 45g caster sugar
- 75g ground almonds
- 1 beaten egg
- A tablespoon brown sugar
- Sprigs of fresh lemon verbena
For the sorbet
- 160g caster sugar
- 450ml water
- 350g tinned peaches, drained
For the almond brittle
- 35g almonds
- 35g caster sugar
For the pastry
- 225g plain flour
- 100g unsalted butter
- 50g icing sugar
- Quarter of a teaspoon
- vanilla-bean paste
- A few tablespoons iced water
Method
To make the sorbet
Boil the sugar and water rapidly in a saucepan to reduce, until the liquid goes opaque and frothy. If you’re using a sugar thermometer, it should reach 108˚C, but you don’t have to use one — you’ll know it’s ready when the sugar makes short threads. Remove from the heat.
Blitz the peaches in a food processor until smooth. Pour in the sugar syrup, process again, then freeze for at least six hours. Return the sorbet to the processor and blitz until smooth. Freeze once more and it’s ready to use.
To make the almond brittle
Heat the nuts and sugar in a frying pan to melt the sugar. Once lightly browned, tip onto an oiled baking sheet and cool. Transfer to a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to break it up.
To make the pastry
Combine the flour, butter, icing sugar and vanilla-bean paste in the food processor until they come together. If it seems dry, add a little iced water. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for an hour. Roll it out between baking parchment and cut into a circle, then chill again.
To put it all together
Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Cut the peaches and strawberries into wedges and toss them in the caster sugar. Remove the pastry circle from the fridge and sprinkle the ground almonds over it, leaving a 2in border around the edge.
Add the fruit. Fold up the edges and brush them with beaten egg.
Sprinkle with the brown sugar and bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the fruit soft.
Sprinkle almond brittle over the warm tart and dot with lemonverbena sprigs. Serve with the peach sorbet on the side.
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