I don't know what it's called, but I like it.

One of the first cookbooks I ever used was called the Teddy Bear cookbook. Designed specifically for children, it taught the user how to follow a recipe, and how to make simple yet tasty things. When Scarlett would come for visits, we'd often choose to make something out of this cookbook - sometimes teddy bear pancakes, but more frequently apple pizzas.

Because they were pizzas! Covered in apples! What's not to like? A sweet dough, with cinnamon/sugar apples, apple pizzas were the best, man. And really easy to make.

I flashed back to the apple pizzas this weekend when I thought to myself, "I want to make a pie" and realized it would be absolute torture to have to use the oven during the nasty heat. So I tried to think of some other way to combine fruit and crust without needing the oven. We got a bunch of summer fruit at the grocery store, and that evening I looked through the Joy of Cooking at pastry recipes, trying to decide what I could do.

Finally, it hit me. A galette-style dessert, a very rustic pastry with fruit, the dough brought up and around the sides of the fruit in the middle. I could make it in two batches and cook it in the toaster oven, rather than heating up the entire kitchen. And so I made things up as I went along, and we ate my creation for dessert with vanilla ice cream (just a bit). It doesn't have a name, but boy was it tasty.

Summer fruit galette with cornmeal crust

Crust:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal (we use the roughly ground stuff)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
4 tsp butter flavored shortening
1/4 c ice water

Mix all dry ingredients, then cut in butter and shortening using pastry blender. Pour ice water over mixture and cut in using the side of a butter knife or rubber spatula until mixture forms ball of dough. Refrigerate for an hour or so.

Filling:
approximately 3-4 cups summer fruit (I used halved and pitted bing cherries, 2 medium size nectarines, and a handful of blackberries)
1 tsp sugar

After dough has cooled for an hour, separate into two balls. Roll out each ball on floured surface to about a 8-9 inch circle and place on cookie sheet (or on toaster oven tray). Put half the fruit mixture in the center of each rolled out pastry and bring the edges up and over the fruit so it is partly covered but exposed in the center. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes (I cooked mine separately because I could only fit one at a time and each of mine took 23 minutes) or until crust starts to brown just a bit on the top.

Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or by its lonesome (so tasty!). Makes 4 very large or 6 medium-sized servings.