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Inside My Kitchen: Valerie Bertinelli Teaches Us How to Make Her Favorite Summer Pastry (Exclusive)

In chef Valerie Bertinelli’s house, the kitchen isn’t the only place where all the magic happens — it’s in her garden too.

“It’s one my favorite places,” the Food Network star, 60, tells Us Weekly exclusively. “It feels like an extension of my kitchen.”

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Now that summer is in full swing, the actress has been taking advantage of picking fresh produce straight from her backyard and cooking with them. “Our tomatoes are gorgeous,” she says of her plants, noting that she’s also growing citrus fruits oroblancos and kumquats.

Valerie Bertinelli Invites Us Inside Her Kitchen
Valerie Bertinelli Courtesy of Valerie Bertinelli

The One Day at a Time alum particularly enjoys baking with her homegrown peaches, she says, which have inspired her to come up with her own recipes, such as a cherry and peach galette.

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“I always prefer a galette because [people] say, “easy as pie,” [and] pie isn’t that easy,” Bertinelli says of the summer pastry. “Galettes are easy.”

Another plus to the baked dish? You don’t need fresh fruit to make it. In fact, “when I first came up with this recipe, it was with frozen fruit,” says the Losing It author. “I always have frozen fruit in my freezer.”

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Either way, the final product always comes out great. “The peaches melt in your mouth, and there’s a tartness to the cherries, and then the crunchy crust all together — it gives you all kind of different flavors and textures in your mouth,” Bertinelli adds. “It’s so good!”

Valerie Bertinelli Invites Us Inside Her Kitchen
Courtesy of Valerie Bertinelli

Want to try it for yourself? Scroll down for the easy and delicious recipe and watch the video above for step-by-step instructions from Bertinelli.

Bertinelli’s Cherry-Peach Pantry Galette
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 round refrigerated piecrust
1 lb frozen sliced peaches, thawed and well drained
12 oz frozen sour cherries, thawed and well drained
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper and lay the round of piecrust on top.

2. In a mixing bowl, toss the peaches and cherries with the vanilla, cinnamon, 1/3 cup of sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Mound the fruit mixture in the center of the dough round and spread slightly, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the edges over the fruit, pleating as necessary. Sprinkle the remaining tbsp of sugar over the top of the fruit.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown all over and the fruit juices are thick and bubbling. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Valerie Bertinelli: In My Own Words premieres on REELZ Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET.

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