Peach Galettes look as good as they taste. They are a great way to showcase peaches at their prime. Each individual galette starts with a rectangle of puff pastry that is covered with a thin layer of sweet almond cream (frangipane) and slices of sweet and juicy peaches. Once they are baked in a hot oven until the puff pastry is golden brown, the finishing touch is to lightly dust the tops of the galettes with confectioners sugar and place them under the broiler until the tips of the peaches, and edges of the puff pastry, start to caramelize. You can serve these galettes warm, at room temperature, or even cold. They would make a fine addition to a breakfast or brunch buffet.

I have used frozen store bought puff pastry to make these Peach Galettes. (Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets is a popular brand that can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores.) You do need to thaw the puff pastry (as per manufacturer’s directions) before you begin this dessert. Once thawed, each sheet of puff pastry is cut into thirds and then each third is cut in half. So altogether you will have 12 galettes. Each rectangle is covered with a thin layer of frangipane, which is a delicately flavored sweet almond cream made from sugar, butter, eggs, and almond meal. Almond meal (flour) is blanched almonds that are finely ground and can be found at health food stores and many large grocery stores.

If you cannot find it you can make your own by taking about 1/2 cup of blanched almonds (along with the flour in the recipe) and processing these two ingredients in your food processor until finely ground. Just make sure not to over process this mixture as it needs to be finely ground, not a paste. Once the frangipane is made and spread onto each pastry we then top each pastry with slices of lightly sweetened peaches. I like to peel the peaches and this is done by dipping the peaches into boiling water for about 30 – 60 seconds, depending on the ripeness of each peach. Then transfer the fruit to a large bowl of ice water (this stops the cooking process). The skins should now slip easily off the peaches. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones, and cut the fruit into slices. Mix the peach slices with a little sugar and then place on top of the almond cream. These galettes are then baked in a hot oven until the pastry is golden brown and the peaches are nice and tender.

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