If you are looking for an easy dessert recipe that doesn't take too long to throw together and is very forgiving, a galette could be your perfect dish! The term "galette" is French in origin and means a flat round cake. These cakes can be made with an assortment of fillings both savory and sweet. When cooking as a dessert, this dish is easy to customize depending on what fruit you have on hand. Berries, stone fruit - like peaches and nectaries, and pears all make a great sweet filling.
It's never fun to start a recipe and realize you are missing an ingredient. If you only have salted butter on hand as you begin this recipe, do not worry, a simple rule of thumb is 1 stick of salted butter = 1/4 teaspoon of salt. So for this recipe instead of adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt, use a stick of salted butter and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
I find myself coming back to this recipe frequently and changing the filling up to fit what fruits are freshest in the current season. When I saw plums at my local co-op I grabbed a few with this pastry in mind. Work with the fruits that are available to you locally and if possible shop at a farmers market or co-op for extra fresh ingredients that will make the flavors in this galette pop even more!
Makes 10 servings
Preparation Time: 25 minutes (plus a minimum of 1 hour to chill dough)
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients for dough:
*1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
*1/2 cup pecans
*2 teaspoons sugar
*1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Or 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)
*1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
*4 tablespoons of ice water
Ingredients for filling:
*2 plums, sliced
*2 cups fresh blueberries
*1 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
*1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons cornstarch
*1/4 cup sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling
*1 tablespoon heavy cream
Preparation of dough:
*Preheat oven to 350F. Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant. For about 5-10 minutes, tossing once half way through. Let cool.
*Add pecans to food processor and pulse until they are the consistency of a course meal.
*Add in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until just combined.
*Place butter in processor and pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse mix with a few tiny pieces.
*Move dough to a large bowl.
*Drizzle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the dough and mix until it first starts to stick together. Add a bit more water slowly if needed.
*Pat the dough into a round disc and cover in plastic. Let chill for a minimum of 1 hour. Dough will keep in fridge for 2 days.
Preparation of pastry:
*Preheat oven to 375F.
*Place blueberries, plum slices, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl, toss to coat evenly.
*Roll out the dough to a 12" round on a lightly floured surface.
*Transfer dough carefully to a parchment (or silicon protector) lined baking sheet.
*Fill the center of the dough with the plum slices and berries, leaving a 2" boarder of crust.
*Fold the boarder up over the fruit. Brush the dough with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
*Bake the galette for about 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is a nice dark golden brown.
*Allow to cool before serving and enjoy!
Recipe Creator - Alina Gersib