Cherry Peach Goat Cheese Galette + Spicy Pepper Jelly

Celebrate the end of summer with this seasonal galette made with juicy peaches, ripe cherries, creamy goat cheese, and a kick of spicy pepper jelly to heat things up. So long sweet (and spicy) summer!

I’m calling it—galettes are the official dessert of the summer. They’re such a delicious (and impressive) way to make use of all the seasonal produce summer has to offer. Like stone fruit, berries, tomatoes, herbs, and even zucchini. Dat’s right, galettes can be savory, too! I’m dying to make one with heirloom tomatoes and pesto.

I brought this galette to work to test on my co-workers and I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous about how a sweet and spicy dessert would go over. But they actually loved it, so I had to share the recipe with you guys! The combination of the creamy goat cheese with the sweet fruit are a match made in heaven and the spicy pepper jelly adds an interesting twist while complementing all the other flavors.

Uhh what’s a galette?

Okay, let’s back up. A galette is defined as “a flat, round cake of pastry,” but it’s more like an open-face pie, if you ask me. It originated in France and is similar to the Italian crostada. Both have been compared to tart, but different in the way they’re formed. A galette is more rustic looking because it’s shaped by hand, while a tart has a more uniform, clean look because it’s shaped in a pan.

The rusticity is what makes a galette so easy to pull off. You literally can eff it up and people will still be impressed. Trust me—it’s happened with all of mine.

Sometimes I am so on brand, I ditch my own recipes. Like with this galette. I initially planned on making a peach and basil galette, but saw some gorgeous red cherries at the store and switched up the game plan. I am so happy I did because it was so. much. more flavorful with the addition of the cherries.

This adaptable mentality is exactly how I wish for all of you to approach cooking in your own kitchens. Just because a recipe doesn’t call for something, doesn’t mean you can’t add it. And just because a recipe does call for something, does not mean you need to include it. Give it the boot, make a swap, add edible glitter, whatever! Customize your food to fit your cravings and I promise you will be so much more satisfied with your cooking.

It’s hilarious, to me, when I’m at a restaurant and the person I’m with really wants to order a certain dish, but it has one ingredient they don’t like, so they pass on it. Like helloooooo—just 86 the broccoli if you hate it, Brenda. Ask if you can swap with zucchini or something you do like. Most restaurants are willing to make swaps of equal or lesser value at no charge. Just don’t ask to swap ingredients like spinach for something like salmon. It seems like a no brainer, but I used to have customers ask to sub shrimp instead of kale, so—just use your noggin.

What can I swap for the pepper jelly?

If you’re looking at this galette and love everything except the pepper jelly, no problem. I understand not everyone is as extra as me when it comes to food. Sweet and spicy desserts are definitely not for everyone. If that’s the case, you can either ditch it altogether or swap the pepper jelly for a fruity one. You can match it with the fruit you’re using (or a similar fruit) to get an even deeper fruit flavor. For example, you can use strawberry jam if you’re making a strawberry galette.

I will say, if you like and are able to get ahold of good pepper jelly, it really sets this galette OFF. I used a jar of my dad’s, which he makes every single year from the peppers in my parents’ garden. He uses a variety of hot peppers such as serranos, Thai chilis, Scotch bonnets, habaneros, tabasco peppers, and more. IT IS PHENOMENAL. And one of the only pepper jellies I’ve ever had that’s actually spicy! But not overbearing spicy. Perfect spicy.

Let’s talk crust.

The crust is made from a simple pie dough. It can be sweet, savory, plain, or flavored. I like to keep it plain to let the flavors of the filling shine. You can even use store-bought crust and go Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade style, but I love to make my own because it’s super easy. I’ll admit, sometimes I get a little nervous making dough because the whole thing relies on it, but it’s so gratifying to create something with your hands. And it really couldn’t be any simpler—promise!

Tips for flaky galette dough.

When making galette dough, there are a few things to keep in mind to optimize your chance of getting that perfect, flaky crust.

1. Make sure your ingredients are cold. Contrary to many other baked goods, pastry dough calls for the butter and liquid (buttermilk in this recipe) to be super cold. This is because when flour, fat, and liquid combine, they create gluten. Cooler temperatures will slow this process, so we achieve that by using very cold ingredients. I like to cut the butter into cubes, then pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before I’m about to use it. This will also keep the butter from melting too quickly in your hands, which bring me to my next tip.

2. Use your hands. You can use a food processor to mix dough, but I like to use my hands to break apart the butter into a combination of pea sized shapes and flat discs. These lumps of fat are what create those beautiful layers of flaky crust. If you break down the butter so much that you get a coarse meal—which tends to happen in a food processor—it will yield a more mealy, than flaky crust. Which isn’t bad, just different. I used a processor to make this lemon tart with lavender scented crust.

3. Make it the night ahead. Remember how I said gluten develops when flour, butter, and liquid are combined? Well, you need to let that gluten relax to become more elastic before you roll it out. Chilling the dough overnight allows this to happen, making the dough more pliable and easy to manage.  You really only need to wait an hour, but I usually chill it overnight. You can even leave it in your fridge for up to a week, if you want.

Btw, did you know you can make your own buttermilk at home? It’s super simple—you just need milk and vinegar. I’ve included the recipe below because I’ve actually had to do it for most of my galettes. I always seem to forget the buttermilk at the store even if it’s all I am going there for! Is anyone else like this?? You can make this dough with cold water (I suggest using ice water) as well, but I prefer using buttermilk to give the crust a subtle tang.

How to serve galette.

When serving this galette, I like to garnish with basil for a pop of color and freshness. Mint would pair beautifully, as well. I also drizzle each slice with local honey because I can’t get enough, right now. I’ve literally been eating it by the spoonful. No ragrets.

You could also pair with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream. Galettes and ice cream are made for each other.

So now that you know all the tricks, swap ops, and bonuses, let’s get to the recipe!

Enjoy.