I’m a perfectionist in many ways. I like the toilet roll facing out, never in. If I see a mat at a front door that’s slightly off-centre, I find myself straightening it out with my toes without thinking. On a good day my cookbooks are stacked up just so (otherwise they are strewn all over my living-room floor, pages opened with bookmarks throughout!) and nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing my new shelving unit, stacked neatly with props. I julienne and brunoise my vegetables more out of habit than any great need, I mean really, my kids aren’t exactly gonna ever complain that the carrots aren’t uniform now are they? But still I do it. In all honesty though, if you visited my house on any given day you probably wouldn’t notice any of these little things through the general mess of it all…
I always have good intentions of cleaning down the kitchen bench before I start cooking, you know, finally dealing with that pile of bills/papers/kids-drawings/general crap that seem to always make it’s way back to that same spot? But mostly I just work amongst the mess, even though it drives me crazy.
So I guess you could call me a messy perfectionist? My house is often clean, but hardly ever tidy and nothing makes me happier in the kitchen than creating ‘rustic’ looking food. Honest food, real food. I’m glad we’ve moved on from the late 90’s sterile look, with it’s towering this and finely diced that and it’s awesome to see so many more people celebrating proper honest home-cooked food, without pretense. I think we have Mr Oliver to thank for that, no?
These summer tarts are the perfect excuse to get your ‘rustic’ on. They require no special equipment and even though I’ve gone with the classic combination of peaches and raspberries in the filling, there really is nothing stopping you from adding in whatever seasonal fruits you have available right now. If a little tear forms in the pastry during construction, never fear, simply patch it up with a little piece of pastry and it will all just add to the overall charm of them. With buttery folds of pastry, sweet peaches and gorgeous tart raspberries I don’t think you’d ever find anyone complaining that these don’t look perfect… not even me.
Just before I go I just wanna thank SBS for the feature they did on me and this here blog. So stoked!
gluten-free peach + raspberry crostata
This recipe only requires a half batch of my gluten-free sweet pastry, however if I were you I would make the full batch and freeze the un-used half for later use. Simply defrost in the fridge overnight before using. You can make this recipe into one large crostata if preferred (it will take an extra 15 minutes or so to cook), however I find when you’re dealing with gluten-free pastry it’s easier to work with the smaller ones… and they look cuter 🙂 NB. I added the thyme leaves as an afterthought while taking photos, but they would be even nicer if you added them to the tarts before baking.
Serves 4.
1/2 batch of gluten-free sweet pastry *see headnotes
2 large peaches (my favourite to use are the golden delicious), sliced thinly
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
4 tablespoons almond meal
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a large baking tray or line with baking paper.
Divide the pastry into 4 equal portions, rolling each into a ball. Lightly dust a sheet of baking paper with fine white rice flour and roll out one piece of pastry into a circle, about 3mm thick. Transfer to your tray, carefully. Spread 1 tablespoon of almond meal in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 2cm boarder around the edge. Arrange 1/4 of the peach slices in the centre and top with 1/4 of the raspberries. Pull up the sides of the pastry in a rustic fashion, enclosing the fruit filling. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of pastry and fillings. Brush the tops of the pastry with a little milk (I use rice milk) and pop the whole tray into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up before baking for 30-35 minutes, or until lovely and golden. Remove from the oven and serve either hot or at room temperature. These are best eaten within about an hour of baking, before the pastry softens too much.
35 Responses
Were we separated at birth, Emma? I like the toilet roll out, rugs (and pictures) straight…. and my front living room floor has a large pile of flagged cookbooks! Your recipe here is just lovely! And congratulations on the SBS Feature. Well deserved, love.
Oh yes… straight picture frames! 😀
Thanks for the lovely words too love, always appreciated xx
First of all, congrats on the SBS feature! Loved the interview. Tomato kasundi? Yes, please!
These galettes are so beautiful in all their rusticness. Unfortunately, I have to wait till next summer to taste one of these. Can't wait as the combination of peaches and raspberries is a great one.
Years ago I posted a large winter version of these tarts, using thinly sliced pears and frozen raspberries. Might be just the trick to get you through winter 🙂 xx
Oh, have to check it immediately! Thanks, Emm.
I'd still use this pastry though, it's much nicer than my old version 😉
the recipe spounds delicous. i will try it
xo Fräulein K.
Enjoy! xx
I totally get what you mean about living in clean mess – that's pretty much what our place looks like 90% of the time (unless parents are coming to visit!) and I too love food that looks rustic and inviting, not too pretty to touch. These pies are just perfect for that and I really like the combination of peach and raspberry in these. Perfect!
Thanks Kathryn! Good to know it's not just us who lives in constant 'clean mess' 🙂
These look absolutely stunning. I've wanted to try making crostatas for ages, but never got round to it. Totally pinning this and will give it a go in the Spring/ Summer with fresh fruit. The combination of peach and raspberry sounds incredible!
Congrats on the SBS feature!
Thanks Antonia! I was really stoked to be asked.
These look delicious Emma and I love the addition of the thyme leaves too!
I adore herbs in my baking 🙂
Congrats on the write up, how exciting! So lovely, you definitely rock the rustic look Emm! Have you been spying through my kitchen window? You described me to a T 🙂
We must have been separated at birth 😉 or, maybe it's just a mums signature kitchen 'style'? haha xx
AMEN for rustic food!!!! i love the aesthetic of these 🙂 and i seriously have got to try this gluten free pie crust recipe, last time i tried to make a gluten free pie crust it did not come out.
and i'm sorry but i sometimes put the toilet roll on the wrong way.
That's okay, if I even come visit I'll swap the roll around myself 😉
I will surely be spending my next day off making these!
These are so pretty and such a fun flavour! I love this recipe 🙂
I totally feel you on the messy perfectionist tip! I always need things to be a certain way, but am never overly OCD about things. And these galettes? Just what my eyes and soul ordered! We've had enough snow around here to choke a horse, so to see stone fruit and dream of what it must have smelled like baking is lovely to think about. Thanks, Emma! xo
It seems like there a lot of us messy perfectionists out there haha! Who has time to be truly tidy. This recipe looks absolutely amazing! Can't wait to try it.
Haha, so wonderfully put! And YES to clean mess — not dirty, just messy 🙂 These galettes look like the perfect way to embrace rusticity, and such a wonderful flavor combo, too. Yum. Can't wait til it's summer over in this neighborhood!
I'm the same, I'll straighten/fix/organise everything but I'm forever working in the kitchen amongst a pile of dishes. I'm loving more wholesome, real food too. These look lovely! I'd love to make them with apple and rhubarb.
These looks amazing, love the more natural look of these pastries.
HEEEEY Emm, soooo good to catch up on your blog, been a long time, but I have been following your success, congrats to you. Just saw your mama a few weeks ago too at the Raglan market. Hope you're well. xoxoxoxoxo Dakota
Hey love! Thank you so much, hope you are well too? You lucky thing getting to see my mum! I miss her everyday xx p.s I might see you in Raglan this April sometime, am organising a teeny trip home..
This looks so delicious!
Hi Emma, now quick question, can I pre order your book? to be shipped to spain?
pls let me know…thanks!
xx
Hi Clara, my book will be available for pre-order sometime around the start of March from NZ/Australian online bookstores. They should be able to ship to Spain 🙂 xx
Working amidst the mess is something I tend to do, and definitely something I didn't pick up from my mother, who is the tidiest cook on Earth (I'm convinced). Rusticity is right at home in our kitchen, especially for desserts… we have a whole slew of peaches on our tree ready to be gobbled up, and I'd love to tuck them lovingly into this beautiful crostata recipe.
PS – loved your feature in SBS and can't wait for the book. Your work is so honest and inspirational.
Thanks so much Yasmeen xx
These look delicious!
This looks absolutely divine, and I love the rustic feel of the recipe. You have me craving summer fruit like no other! Just around the corner, I'll be making these 🙂
Wow! These look absolutely gorgeous Emma! I so hope to have a bit of time this weekend. I'd love to make a couple. yumyum