Peach and Raspberry Gal-ettes
Our ‘gal-ettes’ were originally made to celebrate International Women’s Day, in honour of all of the ‘gal pals’ and wonder women in our community and across the globe. These individual free-form tarts are crafted from buttery shortcrust pastry filled with fresh peaches and raspberries. Both sweet and tart, juicy and crumbly, this recipe acts as a reminder that balance is important and celebrates working towards a more gender-balanced world.
MAKES 12
For the pastry
320g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
½ tsp fine salt
225g frozen unsalted butter
6 tbsp cold water, or more as needed
For the filling
4 peaches, halved, stoned and cut into 5mm slices
250g raspberries
2 tsp cornflour
2 tsp Demerara sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 medium egg, beaten, to glaze
To make the pastry, mix together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the flour and briefly rub it in until the pieces are the size of oats and well coated in the flour. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the cold water, using a butter knife or bench scraper to mix it together into a dough. If it’s really dry and flaky, mix in an extra 2–3 tablespoons of water. Bring the dough into a disc shape, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the peach slices and raspberries into a bowl and gently toss in the cornflour and sugar to coat the fruit.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
Unwrap the chilled pastry and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to 5mm thick. Using a bowl or small plate as a guide, cut out 12cm circles from the pastry and transfer them to the lined baking trays.
Evenly arrange the fruit in the centre of each pastry circle, leaving at least 2.5cm clear around the edges. Fold, pleat and seal the edges of the dough over the edges of the filling, leaving the middles exposed. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with a little extra sugar.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4, then immediately place the gal-ettes into the oven to bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.
Leave to cool a little before serving.
