Published originally on my blog on 16 July 2013
Lately, I’ve been feeling rushed. Rushed in every possible way. With life, with work, with everyday chores, with cooking, with myself.
I feel like I need to take a break from everything and most of all my own thoughts and preoccupations. Those that are meddling with my inner peace, those that stir up memories and waters that are best left serene and waveless.
Speaking of water, I miss the sea. My sea, the one back home, not this one here which can be pretty, even breathtaking at times, but that can never be the one I long for.
I miss my feet being immersed in the sand, the subtle waves stroking my toes. I miss the sound of crickets in the night and the soft breeze traveling through the trees.
Perhaps I miss him, or the idea of him, being there but not really. Being a part of my future without him ever being present. His loud laughter and his hands that always looked so manly, so strong yet delicate at the same time, his cologne that smelled long after he’d leave a room.
It’s not so much a longing for home, but more for comfort, for safety, for belonging. I understand now that I will always be that person who reminisces about home, who can never really settle anywhere else but won’t go back either. I have to accept the fact that I’m perhaps destined to explore new worlds or that I’m the person who can never be content with what they have.
But I never stop smiling. I’m thankful for so many things and for the people in my life, for S above them all. I’m thankful for all of you, yes you, who read my words and drop by to leave me a note, for you who cook my recipes and come back, full of graciousness, to tell me all about it, you who are quiet yet here. Because, as I’ve said so many times before, this space here is a part of me, one that I’m very proud of, a part of me that always brings me pleasure to share.
I’m thankful for the cooking that fills me with joy, the food that brings me happiness, the ingredients that make me go in the kitchen and not come out until I have made something delicious to share with my loved ones. I’m thankful for the fruits of the summer. The cherries, the melons, the peaches, the apricots. The apricots, the little suns. Cooking with them brings sunshine even if it’s raining outside; always satisfying, and this time wasn’t any different.
This time I made this galette. With apricots, sugar, vanilla and a flaky pastry so light and buttery it reminded me of puff.
Simple stuff that bring a smile to your face. That’s what this is.
Apricot Galette
The galette is one of the easiest types of tarts because it’s free-form. You simply roll-out the pastry, arrange the fruits in the middle and you bring the sides of the pastry up and over the fruit. Straightforward and no tart pan required.
Use ripe, sweet apricots; the sweetest the fruit the less sugar you’ll need to add to them. If they’re very sweet, use 2-3 tablespoons of sugar in the filling instead of 4.
I used vanilla bean paste but you can use the scraped seeds of a vanilla bean. Don’t use vanilla extract, the flavor won’t be the same.
If you have a large food processor, it is best if you use it to make the pastry instead of making it with your hands because during the summer, our hands tend to get very warm causing the butter in the pastry to soften and thus making handling the dough more difficult. Below you’ll find instructions for both methods.
