Peach, hazelnut and basil galette

A galette is basically a simpler version of a tart, and I love it for that reason. You may have realised by now that I love pastry, and this is a great way to experiment with it if you’re not that confident yet. This recipe combines a few of my favourite things, with nuts and fruit and then basil bringing a bit of savoury to what would otherwise be a very sweet pudding. I macerate the fruit in the basil and sugar syrup overnight, but you could also do this just for an hour or so to get a similar effect. As with most puddings (desserts), this is perfect with a spoonful of lightly whipped cream.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 peaches, halved, stoned and thickly sliced
• 1/2 bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, plus extra to serve
• 100g caster sugar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 60g blanched hazelnuts
• 1 x quantity shortcrust pastry, made with 40g caster sugar (or use shop-bought)
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 3tbs demerara sugar
• Whipped cream, to serve

Method

Put the peach slices and basil leaves into a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar and squeeze the lemon the over the peaches and basil, then cover the bowl and set aside to macerate for a few hours, or preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160C fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the baking tray that you’re going to cook the galette on in the oven while it heats up, which will help you get a lovely crispy base on the galette.

Put the hazelnuts onto another baking tray and toast them in the oven for five minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Take them out and set aside to cool.

To assemble the galette, place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a disc with the heel of your hand. Flour the top, then roll it out into a circle roughly 30cm wide. Take the hot baking tray out of the oven and carefully transfer the pastry to the baking tray.

Drain the peaches and basil in a colander, then place them neatly in the centre of the pastry, leaving about 5cm (2 inches) around the edge.

Fold the sides of the pastry over the peaches. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then sprinkle it with the demarara sugar.

Bake the galette for about 45 minutes until golden and crisp, checking it after 30 minutes. While the galette is baking, roughly chop the hazelnuts.

Remove the galette from the oven and scatter over the hazelnuts while it’s warm. Serve with fresh basil leaves and a dollop of whipped cream.

Stay for Supper by Xanthe Ross (Quadrille, £25)