WHITE PEACH GALETTE

Hello! How's your May going? It's been pretty drizzly and cold in London although - as wedding cake season is now underway - I'm secretly quite enjoying the unseasonably cool weather. I know, I know - but it does make transporting and building buttercream wedding cakes much less stressful!

As those of you who follow me over on Instagram will know (and side note that I'm a little more active over there - so follow along!), wedding season has started, which means I get to make beautiful (I hope!) wedding cakes most weekends from now through to September. I adore this side-hustle of mine and am so excited to be back in the thick of it.

This recipe feels a little pre-emptive, but I know that my very favourite flat white peaches are just around the corner, so I couldn't wait to share this with you. It's a recipe I developed last summer and never got around to posting here. This is so simple to throw together, and as it's meant to be rustic, you don't need to fuss over the finish too much. Just roll out your pastry, top with a sprinkling of ground almonds and juicy handfuls of macerated peach slices and bake. The simplest but most delicious of summer desserts.

  THE INGREDIENTS

Pastry (Alice Waters recipe)

140g plain flour

85g unsalted butter, cold

1 tsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp fine salt

cold water (around 2 tbsp)

Filling

4 ripe flat white peaches

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

30g ground almonds

THE RECIPE

To make the pastry, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. Cut the butter into cubes, then add to the pastry. Using two table knives, toss the butter until it is well coated in flour, then quickly cut the butter into the flour. Continue until it is roughly incorporated - you should still be able to see some small chunks of butter within the flour. 

Add 2 tbsp of cold water, and quickly mix to combine. Bring it all together with your hands working as quickly as possible. If the pastry feels a little dry, add 1/2 tbsp more, continuing as needed. Shape the pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until needed.

Stone the peaches and slice, then place in a bowl with the lemon juice, sugar and vanilla. Stir to coat, then allow to macerate for 30 minutes, or up to two hours. 

When you are ready to make the galette, heat your oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment. Roll the pastry out into a large disc directly onto the baking paper (if your tray has high edges, you can place the paper onto your work surface, and transfer back onto the tray once the pastry is rolled.

Dust the pastry with the ground almonds, leaving a 2 inch margin around the edge almond-free. Top with the peaches, retaining any macerating juices for later. 

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is starting to look cooked and golden, and the peaches are soft and just starting to caramelise. Remove from the oven and brush the peaches and pastry with the reserved macerating juices, then return to the oven to bake for a further 5-10 minutes until bronzed and cooked. Slice up and serve immediately, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature with cream. 

Continue reading

Peach Melba Muffins {from Have Your Cake and Eat It by Mich Turner MBE}

Known as the ‘Queen of Couture Cakes’, Mich Turner MBE is something of an icon in the baking world. Since starting her business at the tender age of 17, Mich has baked for The Queen, Madonna, Pierce Brosnan and David Beckham. Her cakes and decorating craft were some of the first to inspire me to take baking - always a homely, understated hobby - a little more seriously. 

And so when Mich got in touch and sent me a review copy of her new book, Have Your Cake and Eat It, I had to pinch myself a little. This book is all about celebrating healthier recipes for everyday baking.

As a qualified nutritionist and food biochemist, Mich has used her experience and know-how to bring together nutritious and delicious recipes for those looking for a healthier way to bake. This book perfectly demonstrates that eating healthily doesn't need to be bland and boring. Instead, Mich offers natural alternatives to conventional fats, flours and sugars, to add new levels of flavour and complexity to healthier baked goods. 

Flicking through the book, I found myself bookmarking every other page - Mich's recipes for rhubarb and sour cream squares, Lemon polenta cake with strawberry compote and Dairy-free chocolate and coconut loaf are all sitting comfortably on my to do list.

By way of a preview, Mich has kindly shared her recipe for Peach Melba Muffins with me. These naturally dairy free muffins are a revelation - packed with fresh peach and raspberries, then injected with fruit compote for natural added sweetness and flavour.

Have Your Cake and Eat It by Mich Turner is available to buy on Amazon.

THE INGREDIENTS

Makes 12 muffins

210g plain flour 

40g ground almonds 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

125g golden caster sugar 

2 eggs 

90ml sunflower oil 

250g soya or coconut yogurt 

2 large peaches, 1 stoned and chopped and 1 cut into 12 slices 

8 amaretti biscuits, lightly crushed 

½ quantity Fruit Compote (see below), blended until smooth 

50g fresh raspberries 

40g flaked almonds 

For the compote

400g fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberries) 
100g golden caster sugar 

Zest and juice of 1 lemon or orange (optional) 

THE RECIPE

Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tin with 12 cases.

Sift the flour, ground almonds and baking powder into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, oil and non-dairy yogurt. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Lightly fold in the chopped peach and crushed amaretti biscuits. Spoon the batter into the cases.

For the compote, place the fruit, sugar and citrus zest and juice (if using) together in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally for about 25–30 minutes until the fruit has softened and reduced to a thick pulp. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the sugar or add lemon juice to taste. 

Spoon the smooth fruit compote into a piping bag and snip the end to make a small hole. Insert the tip just under the surface of the batter and inject about 2 teaspoons compote per muffin. Top with a peach slice, a few raspberries and some flaked almonds.

Bake for 25–30 minutes before cooling on a wire rack. Store for 2–3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These muffins are not suitable for freezing. 

Recipe courtesy of 'Have Your Cake and Eat It' by Mich Turner MBE, published by Jacqui Small. Photography by Peter Cassidy. 

Continue reading

PEACH AND ROSE LEMONADE

The love affair with peaches continues. Imported from southern Europe - white, perfume rich peaches from Campania, juicy yellow peaches from Piedmont - few things signal the dizzy, balmy height of British summer better than the arrival of rosy ripe peaches.

The sweet, soft flesh of peaches lends itself perfectly to pureeing, but their delicate taste can make them a tricky fruit to celebrate when paired with other flavours. Fragrant rose, when used correctly, is a time-tested classic to use with peaches.

Homemade lemonade is perfect to refresh hot and bothered souls on a summer's afternoon. My version, which uses a thick peach and rose puree along with fresh lemon juice, makes this childhood classic a classy alcohol-free option for adults and children alike. 

This recipe is also available - along with lots of other seasonal recipes by me - on the new Kitchen Garden Magazine website here.

THE INGREDIENTS

200g fresh peaches, stoned and chopped

100ml water

75g caster sugar

150ml fresh lemon juice 

1 tsp rose water

THE RECIPE

Place the chopped peaches, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the mixture has reduced and the peaches have broken down to a thick, jammy texture. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Once cooled, puree the peaches in a food processor, then strain. Add the lemon juice and rose water to the puree, then pour into a clean sterilised jar or bottle.

To make lemonade, use one part puree, one part ice, and two parts sparkling water. Store the puree in the fridge, and consume within one month.

Continue reading