Summer’s still here, with its bounty, its roundness and fullness. Its drippy peaches and sweet, still-long days stretched out before you.
So much variety and abundance. Such life.
So why do I still wanna punch that Summer guy right in the kisser?
Its name is Fall. And it speaks to me. That’s why.
Do you know what Fall says?
It says, “my friends call me Autumn. Come jump in my leaves. Drape yourself in corduroy. Cuddle up with that cashmere wrap you love. Eat my warm comforting soups and stews. Eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.”
It says no more hot sticky gross smelly humid days, lousy with b.o. The fear of someone else’s “o” on your “b.” No! Don’t get in that elevator! That guy with the cargo shorts and the little sock-lets that look like they are going to disappear into the heel of his itty bitty Converse low-tops? See those pit stains? He STINKS like fish. Fish.
I’m coming, Autumn! Wait up!! I’m coming!!
What’s that, Autumn? I shouldn’t wish my life away? I shouldn’t waste what’s left of Summer, and her drippy, sticky love?
But my strawberries seem to go bad moments after I bring them home and lovingly stash them in that special container in the refrigerator that I bought just for them. And my pears are just this side of overripe. All I want is to make a freakin’ apple crisp. Stop bossing me, Autumn.
What? Oh. Oh, right. A rustic peach crostata does hit the late-Summer spot. No who has egg on her face? Me. That’s who. I do.
Little known fact you might not know: “rustic” is Latin for lazy. Totally. I read that. Somewhere. In a book, with words and stuff, not just pictures.
The point is this: it’s easy. It uses up peaches. It’s tasty, and you learn some Latin on the side. Bonus!
For real, though, this peach crostata is tasty. I may not know any Latin or anything, but I know tasty when I eat it. And bake it. And then eat it again. For taste-testing purposes. Strictly business.
Tell me, what’s your favorite Summer fruit?
Go on, tell me. I’ll wait…
Mine is blueberries. I love hunting for the biggest, fattest berries in the pint. You’d better not get between me and that berry, ’cause it could get ugly. Part sport, part snack. Score. Add some blueberries to this here peach tart. Go on! Damn, I wish I had done that.
| [A] Peach [of a] Crostata |
- 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, iced (ice cubes don’t count in the volume measurement)
- 4 large ripe peaches, pitted and sliced thinly
- juice of 1 lemon
- granulated sugar (to taste — between 2 and 4 tablespoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (it brings out the flavor of the peaches, but if you don’t have it, just substitute pure vanilla extract)
- 1 extra-large egg, lighten beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water (for egg wash)
- In a large bowl, mix 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour (reserve the other 2 tablespoons), xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and confectioner’s sugar until well combined.
- Add the cold, diced butter to the bowl of dry ingredients. If you have a pastry blender, cut in the butter by holding on to the handle and pressing the tines of the blender into the mixture over and over again until the mixture resembles small pea-size chunks of butter wrapped in the flour mixture. If you are using two knives, just cross them and cut repeatedly into the mixture until it looks like small pieces of cold butter wrapped in the flour mixture.
- Add 1/4 cup ice water to the mixture by the tablespoon. With clean dry hands, squeeze the mixture tightly in your fists. Continue to add water by the tablespoonful, squeezing the mixture together, until the dough holds together. Handling the dough as little as possible, form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven. Otherwise, invert a rimmed baking sheet, and set it aside.
- While the dough is chilling, make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, lemon juice, granulated sugar, almond extract, and 2 reserved tablespoons of flour. Mix gently until combined.
- Once the dough has chilled, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap that have been lightly dusted with gluten-free flour. Roll the dough until it is about the thickness of a nickel (about 1/8 inch thick). Remove the parchment paper from one side of the dough, and invert the bare side of the dough onto a clean piece of parchment paper. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. If the dough seemed difficult to handle at all, place it in the refrigerator to chill again for another 10 minutes or until firm.
- Heap the peach filling onto the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border around the edge of the dough. Brush the border with egg wash. Gently fold the dough over the edge of the filling in 2 inch sections, overlapping each section over the previous, for a rustic pleated look. Brush the remaining egg wash over the whole tart, filling and crust.
- Place the crostata back in the oven, if necessary, to chill once more before baking. The colder it is when it hits the hot oven, the better.
- Place either on the pizza stone or on the inverted baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until the peaches are softened and the crust a warm, golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
If you want the peaches to be very soft, and the texture of the filling smoother, blanch the peaches by placing them in boiling water for 2 minutes before placing them in a bowl of ice. This will loosen the skin enough that the skin should peel off easily and begin to soften the flesh. Then, pit and slice the peaches, and proceed with the recipe.
I hope I didn’t embarrass you on Wednesday with all the puddin’ and love. But I’d do it again. ‘Cause I mean it.
Hug?
xoxo Nicole
P.S. Have you ever tried to take candy from a baby? Turns out, not so easy after all.
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The picture reminds me of my Mom’s peach kutchen. Yum! I’ll bet your peach crostata is just as good!
I have a few recipes from your book that I would like to make. Is it possible to make them ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze? the recipes are: shepard’s Pie, Lo Me4in and Apple Leek Sausage corn bread stuffing Dinner Thank you,
Sheley
Hi, Shelley,
1. Shepherd’s pie: yes, this would definitely freeze well. It will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two, but you could freeze it for a month, even, and it would still be good. I would suggest freezing it before baking it at the end of the recipe. Just wrap it tight with something like Glad Press ‘n’ Seal freezer wrap (love that stuff), and then either defrost in the refrigerator, or bake from frozen, starting at a low temp and raising it as it defrosts.
2. Lo Mein: You definitely cannot freeze lomein. It will separate and get gummy. But, the sauce will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Make that ahead, put it in a sealed container, and place it in the refrigerator. Then, when you’re ready to use it, make the pasta, and toss the warm pasta in the sauce, right from the refrigerator. I do that all the time. It’s a great weeknight meal.
3. Apple Leek Sausage Cornbread Stuffing Dinner: A great make-ahead freezer meal. Follow the same instructions as for the shepherd’s pie.
I hope that helps. Great question! Thanks for asking on the blog, so everyone else can see the question and the answer!
xoxo Nicole
This loooooks amazing!
Hi, Alex,
Thanks. :) Make some!
xoxo Nicole
Cant wait to make this over the weekend :-)
Nicole –
I hear you about summer and Fall ( you’re lucky you guys are so close that you can call her Autumn – she told me to call her Stumble). I’m trying to celebrate these last days of summer and not administer 50 lashes with a wet noodle to myself over all the things I said I would do that I haven’t done. I’m craving the structure of fall, the start of school, the need to turn on the oven, comfort food, I’m ready for apple pie gosh darn it. BUT, and that is a huge but, I’m not ready to be cold – that’s the junk that comes after fall’s glorious stretch of time.
Peaches Nicole – peaches! YUM! Finally got my 25 lb bag of Better Batter – giddy up, I’m having my own personal Pillsbury Bake Off in the kitchen! Last night I made your pizza crust – totally forgot to read the directions before I started it – at 5:30pm. Let it rise but skipped the fridge, turned out pretty good. Imagine it to be downright magical when I follow your lead. I’m off to cinnamon roll it up this morning. Hittin’ up the market for all the peaches later – this is gonna be good!
Keep ‘em comin’ Nicole, this is what keeps me exercising!
Jayne
Hi, Jayne,
Yeah. We are really tight, me and Autumn. Thanks for noticing. :)
I’m thrilled you received your bag of Better Batter. I picture flour flying everywhere, and you in the middle, loving it. I feel about Fall just as you described. The structure. The pie. But for now, we have crostata, and we’re grateful. Keep in mind that you can use the crust for really anything, including apple pie, when the time comes. I hope you enjoy the cinnamon rolls. Those are one of my favorites.
I promise to keep ‘em comin’, if you promise to keep readin’!
xoxo Nicole
Looks delicious! Thanks for posting!
Hi Nicole,
This looks delicious and I would definitely add blueberries…my favorite summer fruit is the very expensive raspberry!! I feel ya on how fast the berries turn. I saw a tip on Pinterest the other day that said to rinse your berries in a solution of 1 part apple cider or plain vinegar to 9 parts water. It says the solution kills the mold spores on the berries and will give them a longer life in the fridge. I did it but I can’t tell you if it worked because my kids ate the berries so fast that they wouldn’t have had time to turn anyway ;^)
Love and applesauce,
Nicoly
Hi, Nicoly!
My 5 year old loves raspberries. She begs for them all year round, but I always tell her she has to wait until they’re in season. Although that’s true, my main motivation in telling her that is because they’re just too expensive! That’s a great tip with the vinegar solution. I think I’m going to try that! That must be why my strawberries and grapes always last longer when I even just rinse them in cold water. I must at least be rinsing off some of the mold spores (ew). Now I’m going to kill those mold spores.
xoxo Nicole
Thanks for the chuckles! I too wish you lived close by! It would be fun to test & sample all the goodies we make over a cup of coffee/tea & laugh about life! Fall is my favorite time of the year…then spring and summer. I dislike winter because I hate being cold!!!
Hi, Peggy!
Thanks for chuckling with me. Do you think it might be fun to have a round robin Skype sort of thing one day, to chat and drink coffee and maybe even trouble shoot some recipe issues some readers might be having? Kindly keep in mind that I no basically nothing about Skype, and I may have outstripped its abilities in one fell swoop just now. If it is possible, do you think anyone would be interested? Would you?
Oh, and I don’t mind being cold one bit. It’s easier to put on a nubby sweater than it is to run the A/C!
xoxo Nicole
I think skyping would be a great idea! I’ve done it a few times with my Colorado quilting buddies after I moved to California last year. Count me in!
Great, Peggy. I will keep you posted!
xoxo Nicole
Nicole,
I’m so excited to have found you (a little forward for starters? :) I was diagnosed with celiac disease almost a week ago and, as you are well aware, it has been a horrible week. I live in Utah where the food and ingredients are, well, homogenous to say the least. Gluten-free products are out the roof on price. I have 4 children, the oldest is 8, so taking up that much of the grocery budget on myself is tough. I checked your book out from the library and I’m hooked! You’re recipes are amazing and your blog is hilarious, finally a gluten-free soruce that doesn’t help me sleep :) Oh, and you’re right, had to take candy away from my baby tonight – not awesome. Your book and blog were a lifeboat to me this week. Thank you, thank you for all your hard work.
-Jennifer
Hi, Jennifer!
Welcome to Gluten-free on a Shoestring! I’m so glad that your library had a copy of the book! That first week after diagnosis can be so hard. The learning curve is so steep, and, on top of it, you have 4 children 8 and under to care for. I’m honored to be your lifeboat. That is 100% why I do this. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it should taste great, and you should enjoy food with your family that everyone can eat and love.
Please stick around, and please ask any questions you like. I’m not going anywhere. :)
xoxo Nicole
You just brougt tears to my eyes! I had no idea what to look for at the library, just randomly grabbed 4 gluten-free books and yours was with them. So lucky it was in there! I’m hooked, I’m in for good. Keep up the good work. If I can ever help, in any way, please don’t hesitate to solicit it. I’m not going anywhere, either!
xoxo back! Jennifer
Hi, Jennifer,
Some things are just meant to be. See you around the blog. Give a shout if you need anything. I left some GF mints on your pillow. :)
xoxo Nicole
Oh My! Well the peaches at the store were less than stellar so I went with apples and blackberries in my Rustic Pie.
We all love this crust! I have shared–actually shared pieces of this pie with not only my gluten free son, but also with my gluten eating husband and my both of my parents! Everyone was very impressed, including myself.
If you want to see what I made, here’s a photo:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6066625213_ea22d65ec8_m.jpg of what I came up with. :)
Yum! I of course wanted this pie on the hottest day of the Summer! So I actually cooked it in the gas grill on a preheated baking stone with a piece of parchment paper. It came out lovely, golden brown, flaky crust and so tasty!
Thanks for all the great blog posts, you are a very clever and creative woman and it is so much fun to share time with you. :) hugs…Stephanie
Hi, Stephanie,
Nice lookin’ pie crust there, Stephanie! It looks like it browned perfectly. Well done. That’s pretty cool that you made it on a gas grill. Since you had success with that, I bet you could also make pizza in that same manner and it would be awesome.
Thank you for the kind words, and it’s lovely to spend time with you, too. :)
xoxo Nicole
Stephanie, I just clicked on your picture & now I cann’t stop my mouth from watering! Hum-O
I just made this over the weekend and it was such a treat! Actually, I made half of this–I cut the recipe down so it was just enough for my husband and me. I’m wondering, though, if there’s any reason why this wouldn’t freeze well–after the point of adding the filling but before baking. If so, would it need to be thawed or could it just be baked from frozen? I’m thinking about making the whole recipe, then dividing into four little tartlets to use as needed/wanted . . . . .
Hi, Peggy,
That’s a great idea, to make the whole recipe, and then divide into single portion sizes to freeze. It will definitely freeze well. It won’t really freeze solid, since the fruit center will thaw more quickly than pie crust would if it were in a ball, so it would likely work to bake it right from frozen. You might want to put the frozen tart in a cold oven, then turn on the oven and allow the tart to thaw as the oven is warming to temperature. Great idea! So glad you were able to adapt the recipe so successfully. In my next cookbook, I plan to have a “freezes beautifully” section, and was thinking of including instructions for how to freeze in portions as well.
xoxo Nicole
Thanks Nichole and Peggy! I have the crust and apples for another “pie” ready to be made into another rustic pie. :) They are just sittin’ in the fridge waiting for me. I made homemade “Oreo” cookies based on Smitten Kitchen’s recipe but made with the better batter flour (the recipe is exactly her recipe but with the all purpose gluten free Better Batter” I love that it works so well. Oh Baby! But now I don’t think that a big plate of chocolaty cream filled cookies And a pie at the same time would be all that “Healthy” Time to go and buy some Rice Bran for the bran muffins that I “NEED” to make.
Hugs!
Nicole,
Just a general question for you . . . I know you recommend rolling dough out between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, but I was curious whether you’ve had any success with the silicone pastry mats.
Hi, Peggy,
I often use a roulpat (kind of a large silpat) to roll out dough. I don’t generally recommend them for two reasons: (1) They’re expensive, and I assume that most people don’t have them; (2) I want people to have success early and often. To use one when rolling out gluten-free dough, you often need to be rather practiced. There is more manipulation involved in using them, since it can be tricky to move the dough from the silicone mat to whatever surface you are going to bake on. With plastic wrap or parchment paper on both sides of the dough, you can easily peel the wrap off the top of the dough, reverse the dough onto the baking surface, and then peel off the other piece of wrap. Once you are very comfortable working with gluten-free dough, the silpat is a great resource.
I hope that helps!
xoxo Nicole
Nicole,
I actually ran myself out of my fresh peaches (so very sad), but have a few pounds worth of pluots/dinosaur eggs/ apricot-plum hybrids. I used to love them as a kid, and I find I still do. I think they have a bit more tart of a flavor profile than peaches, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations for something I could add to the tart here to counter-balance that. (Besides blueberries. I’m sure they’re lovely with peaches, I’m not so sure they’d work with the pluots).
Also, I love your cookbook, and I’m looking forward to the ‘freezes beautifully’ section of the next one. I’m a graduate student who lives alone, so recipes are often just to big, or unwieldy, for me to make a lot of my favorites. Scaling down works, on some things. But having go-to, freezer ready recipes would be a treat.
Final question: I’ve started working pretty long hours in my lab, and I’m looking to start carrying simple lunches and or dinners in the Japanese bento style, aka requiring no real refrigeration or reheating. Do you have any suggestions (other than lemon bars and cookies, which are on my list after this tart) for gluten-free options? I survived on cold cut and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for two years on my last degree, I’m not sure I’m game to go through that process again.
Much Love,
Jenny
Hi, Jenny,
Dinosaur pluots (hard to spell) are actually not acidic (hard to spell) at all, so they should be only marginally more tart than peaches. I would suggest tasting the fruit before putting in the flour to see if you like the taste of it. One thing I would suggest you do differently is to peel the pluots, since their skin is much tougher than that of peaches. It will still be good if you don’t peel them, but you will definitely know the skins are there.
About the size of recipes, you should always feel free to ask for advice on how to pare a recipe down, or make it in smaller, freezer-friendly portions. It’s often very simple to do. No reason you shouldn’t be able to stock your freezer before I come out with another cookbook!
Believe it or not, macaroni and cheese actually is really good at room temperature, especially if you microwave it quickly before packing it. It won’t last all day, but it will definitely last a few hours. Just don’t pack it straight from the refrigerator, or the past will seem dry. What sort of bread were you using for your sandwiches for the past two years? I would also suggest making the Oven-Worthy Granola Bars (recipe I posted a few weeks ago), slicing them into squares, and taking a few with you at a time. Those are my solution to nearly every pack-and-go situation these days. I’m so glad to hear that you’re willing to treat yourself well this time around!
I hope that helps.
xoxo Nicole
I traditionally use Udi’s GF bread – mostly because I spent a year without bread because every loaf I tried disintegrated – homemade and store bought, they all ended up the same pile of crumbs. Its super expensive, and I’ve been working up the gumption to try your sandwich bread. I think the past failures are mocking me from somewhere over my left shoulder. The thing I liked about the udis was it toasted. I guess, after a few years, its amazing how you pare down to what REALLY, honestly matters about the things you miss. I don’t miss bread, I don’t miss fettuccine, but by golly, I missed toast – with the depth of flavor you get from the sugars caramelizing and the way it complements grilled cheese and tomato basil soup or a BLT sandwich…. Mmm, its a happy thought for me, toast is.
As to the pluots – I like them tart so I buy them ‘green’ – very under ripe. But they’ve been waiting in the fridge and I’m sure they’ve turned perfect. I’ll sneak a snack before I toss them, just to be sure. I think I’ going to try to make tartlets, because my deep freeze is feeling neglected.
As to mac and cheese – I had never really though of that. I mean, its just… I can’t find a pasta that holds up to the cheese sauce the way I learned to make it at home. Do you have a recommendation?
I wanted to thank you, again. I’ve been gluten free since I turned 22 – I’ll be 28 in the morning (yes, I know, still a baby to some, ancient to a five year old). Its been rough, but finding this site has made a lot of things turn around for me – I’ve been finding things I used to love can still be good, and even making food my coworkers are (a) jealous of and (b) refuse to believe is gluten free.
So thank you, Nicole, for helping me get my love of food back.
Tarts await!
Hi, Jenny,
You can make sandwich bread! I promise. It’s definitely within your reach. Honest. And I will talk you through any issues you might have — but I honestly don’t think you’ll have any. Do you have any Better Batter? It’s worth it to buy some. The first time around, if you can manage it, don’t make any substitutions. So you maximize your chances of success.
I’m so glad you found your way back to loving food! It is a great feeling to be envied for your gluten-free food by people who don’t eat gluten-free, isn’t it? You know you’ve arrived. :)
You did it! And you can do bread, too. I promise.
I’m here if you need me.
xoxo Nicole
Nicole,
Hi, I just stumbled onto your web site, and after reading your comments and comments from others, I have completely forgotten what I was looking for…HA. I remember, Ritz crackers. I love them, not SUPPOSED to eat them, now I can make them. My son (18) thinks I’m crazy sometimes too, I’ll try to cook, bake or can almost anything. I just returned from the grocery store and man oh man the price of a tiny load of GF sandwich bread was shocking, $6.00. It stayed on the shelf.
Question. Is Better Batter flour really worth the price, and does it have an aftertaste? I’ve tried some flour blends that have bean flour in them and DO NOT like them. According to the ingredient list theirs’ doesn’t. Is that what you use on a regular basis? The holidays are comming up and I want to make my mother’s rolled dumplings,and am thinking, if it will make a GOOD pie crust it should make dumplings. Do you think I would need to add more xanthum gum so they will hold together? My mind is racing now, need to order some flour.
Thanks for listening.
Susan I.
Hi, Susan,
Yes, Better Batter is worth it. No aftertaste. Bean flours are disgusting. Bread shouldn’t be made of beans. Bean flours also do not perform like conventional flours. I never, ever use them. Better Batter already contains xanthan gum. I really can’t speak to your dumplings, since it’s not my recipe, but generally speaking it should work.
I discuss what I like about Better Batter quite a lot in my book. I hope that’s helpful.
xoxo Nicole
Thanks, I’ll order some and give it a try. Mom’s dumplings are too die for. She rolls them out between a 1/4 and 1/8 in thick. I have missed them soooo. I made some one year with rice flour, tasted ok but were too delicate, any leftovers fell apart. I’m ready for something good to eat that reminds me of the good old days when gluten wasn’t the bad guy. I’m going to try some of your recipes and try your book.
Susan I.
Hi, Susan,
Plain rice flour definitely won’t substitute, alone, for an all-purpose flour. In the end, buying a ready-made blend like Better Batter is generally less expensive than mixing your own, once you factor everything in. Better Batter’s price in larger quantities is actually quite reasonable – and if cost is a factor, check out their site and feel free to look into their “financial aid” policy.
Here is a recipe for Won Ton Wrappers here on the blog that is reprinted from my cookbook (with permission, of course). Maybe you’d like that once you have some Better Batter.
Once you have the flour, everything will begin to fall into place. I promise.
xoxo Nicole
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