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overhead shot of French nectarine blueberry galette with fresh fruit in the background

Nectarine Blueberry Galette Recipe

Rustic and elegant, this French Nectarine Blueberry Galette recipe is the perfect simple summer dessert. Easy and quick to make using a simple flaky cream cheese pastry. Bon appetit! 

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword blueberry galette recipe, blueberry peach galette, French galette recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 450 kcal
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

For the cream cheese pastry:

  • 8 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter /120 grams fridge-cold, cut into ¾ -inch/2-cm cubes
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons/185 grams plus extra for dusting
  • ¼ teaspoons salt
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 ounces cream cheese /85 grams
  • 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the filling:

  • 2 ounces walnuts /55 grams
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar /45 grams
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 nectarines sliced - about 300 g
  • ¾ cups fresh blueberries /120 grams
  • ½ cups granulated sugar /100 grams
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch
  • finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
  • teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Glaze (optional)

  • 2 tbsps apricot or peach jam heated in a small pan with 1 tsp rum

Instructions

To make the cream cheese pastry:

  1. Place the cubes of butter in the freezer for about an hour to freeze solid. Chill cream cheese cubes. Place the flour, salt, and baking powder in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for 30 minutes.

  2. Transfer the flour mixture into the bowl of a food processor and process for about 30 seconds to combine. 

    Add the cream cheese and process for another 20 seconds, or until the mixture has the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Different cream cheese brands have different water contents. USA has less water in the cream cheese than Europe so European bakers will not need as much cream in the end.

    Add the frozen butter cubes and pulse to form crumbs. They’ll be uneven in size—some the size of peas and some a bit larger—but that’s fine.

  3. Add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and the vinegar and pulse until the dough starts to hold together. Only add the remaining 1 tablespoon cream if the dough needs it. 

    Tip the mix onto your surface and use your hands and knuckles to press the mixture until it holds together in one piece. 

    Cover the galette pastry in plastic wrap and press to flatten it into a disk. Place in the fridge for 45 minutes (or up to 2 days - or freeze).

  4. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Place a cookie sheet in the oven.

To make the base and filling:

  1. Grind the nuts in your food processor and place in a small bowl. Add the granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon and set aside.

  2. Place nectarine slices, blueberries, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon tapioca flour or cornstarch, lemon zest, and ⅛ teaspoons salt in a medium bowl. Toss gently to combine and then set aside.

  3. Remove the disk of pastry from the fridge 10 minutes before you want to roll it. Place it on a sheet of parchment that has been lightly dusted with flour. Roll out evenly into a large circle, about 15 inches wide and ⅛ inches thick. Trim edges to create a rough circle, then transfer it, along with the parchment paper (it is too soft to transfer alone), onto a large baking sheet. 

    Sprinkle the base in a 10-inch circle over the middle of the pastry. Spoon the fruit filling on top of the crumbs and then carefully draw the pastry border up and over the fruit-filled center of the galette.

     If the pastry has become too soft or warm during the process, place the galette in the fridge to chill for up to 1 hour before baking.

To make the glaze:

  1. Beat the egg with the water in a bowl and brush all over the outside of the pastry, then sprinkle with the sugar.
  2. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, or until the galette is golden. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool before serving.
  3. Optional shiny glaze: Heat jam with a bit of rum, stir until smooth and glaze the fruit filling with it using a pastry brush. 

Recipe Notes

  • Select nectarines that are ripe but not fully soft; they need to hold their shape when cut and cooked.
  • Feel free to substitute your favorite pie dough for the galette cream cheese dough, just be sure it’s sturdy enough to hold the filling without the support of a pan.
  • To assure a tender crust, the flour, butter, cream cheese, and cream must be very cold and the dough handled as gently as a newborn baby.
  • Chilling the dough is of the essence as it helps relax the gluten and keep the galette from spreading too much when it hits the heat. After assembling, I actually pop it into the fridge or freezer once more before baking.
  • If your pastry dough starts to get soft and hard to fold, just pop it all in the freezer for a few minutes to chill it slightly.
  • When you fold and pleat the edges, don’t worry about making it pretty; focus instead on making the pleats tight so that the fruit filling won’t leak out.
  • The amount of sugar can be adapted: Use the smaller amount if your fruit is particularly sweet, the larger amount if it’s tart.
  • You could add some whole wheat flour to the mix. Whole wheat flour brings a nutty flavor to the crust and gives the crust a deeper golden-brown color. I have found that the ratio of two parts all-purpose flour to one part whole wheat flour, is a nice blend. 
  • It's important to put the galette in a hot oven. To make sure your bottom crust is nice and brown as opposed to soft and soggy, put the baking sheet in the oven about 10 minutes before you put in the galette. Then just lift the galette on the parchment paper directly onto the hot cookie sheet.
  • You can make one bog galette or two smaller galettes. These pictures are made with 1/2 the amount and I made 2 galettes in total but you can just make one and store the leftover dough in the fridge for 2 days. 
  • Instead of the nuts, you can use the same amount of crushed Amaretti cookies. 
  • Use any fruit you like - think figs and raspberries, or thinly sliced peaches, apricots, or apples.