The days are getting longer, fruit that has recently emerged from the earth, rather than cellophane, is showing up at markets and in CSAs, and you know what this means, right? It’s time to resist the siren call of pie season and make a galette instead. Galettes are the very best way to bring pie into your everyday life — and yes, I believe your everyday life deserves baked fruit in a buttery, flaky shell — because everything about them is easier. A single crust requires less time and less work. Because it doesn’t have the responsibility of keeping pounds of fruit from soaking into a pie plate, a more tender and flaky dough can be used. The filling uses less fruit and requires less of a shopping commitment. There’s less flavor-occluding sugar and thickeners because galettes are more forgiving of messiness. You don’t need a particular pan or even shape; oblong blobs taste as good and work exactly as well as circles.
There have been twelve galette recipes on this site since I established my membership on Team Galette a mind-boggling 14 years ago, but they all suffer from what I call a specificity problem. This one has a cool shape and ricotta. This one has amaretti crumbs. This one is thicker and barely sweetened. This one is part cheesecake. But when, I have some strawberries, a few stalks of rhubarb, and half a lemon in my fridge and I don’t want to think too hard about things? This is the one I make.
The crust is exceptionally light and you’re unlikely find an easier one to roll out. Beginners excel at this dough. The bottom is never soggy. The fruit isn’t too sweet. The amount of time you need to plan ahead is negligible because a funny thing I’ve learned in the last 65 days is that even with all of the time in the world, I’m extremely disinterested in planning ahead. Is it so terrible that I want my pies to have the luxury of impulsivity, too? This galette says no.
Previously
Six months ago: Dry-Brined Turkey with Roasted Onions
One year ago: Potato Vareniki
Two years ago: Ruffled Milk Pie
Three years ago: Tall Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes and Potatoes Anna
Four years ago: Failproof Crepes + A Crepe Party, Crispy Tortellini with Peas and Proscuitto, Confetti Cookies and Roasted Carrots with Avocado and Yogurt
Five years ago: Not Derby Pie Bars, Liege Waffles and Mushrooms and Greens with Toast
Six years ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Bars and Soft Pretzel Buns and Knots
Seven years ago: Japanese Cabbage and Vegetable Pancakes
Eight years ago: Warm, Crisp and a Little Melty Salad Croutons and Chocolate Buckwheat Cake
Nine years ago: Creme Brulee French Toasts, Leek Toasts with Blue Cheese, Vermontucky Lemonade, and Easy Jam Tart
Ten years ago: Endive and Celery Salad with Fennel Vinaigrette, Rhubarb Cobbler, and Broccol Slaw
Eleven years ago: Brownie Roll-Out Cookies, Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
Twelve years ago: Martha’s Macaroni-and-Cheese and Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies and Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Thirteen years ago: Raspberry-Topped Lemon Muffins
Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette
- 1 1/4 cups (165 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
- 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) cold water
- 3 1/2 cups berries, stone fruit, or other fruit, chopped or thinly sliced, or any combination thereof
- Pinch of salt
- Juice of half a lemon or lime (optional)
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 to 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch (see Note, below)
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water (optional)
- Turbinado or coarse sugar for sprinkling
- Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
Crust
Filling
Filling
To finish
Make filling: Combine fruit, salt, citrus juice (if using), sugar, and starch in a medium bowl and set aside.
Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400°F and flatten the parchment paper that you wrapped your dough in on a large baking sheet. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a large round-ish shape, about 14 inches across. Gently transfer it to the parchment paper in the pan. Spoon fruit filling and any juices that have collected into center, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border uncovered. Fold this border over fruit, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.
For a darker, glossier crust, beat egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush it over the crust. Sprinkle it all over with turbinado or coarse sugar.
Bake galette: For 30 to 35 minutes, or golden all over and the fruit is bubbling and juicy. Cool for at least 20 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Do ahead: Fruit galettes keep at room temperature for a few days and up to a week in the fridge.
Note: This recipe is abundantly flexible.
* Fruit: Use whatever fruit you like to bake with (shown here with about 2 cups sliced rhubarb and 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries).
* Flavors: Use another kind of citrus or none at all; you could add zest or vanilla to the crust. You could slick the bottom of the crust with jam or marzipan.
* Flour: Replace 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat or rye flour.
* Sweetness: The filling is lightly sweetened; you can add up to 3 more tablespoons sugar without putting it over-the-top. For an even less-sweet galette, you could replace the sugar on the crust with poppy or sesame seeds.
* Thickeners: Tapioca flour or starch is my favorite for a clear, unchalky set. If you don’t have it, use an equal amount of cornstarch. Different kinds of fruit have different pectin levels, and might need more or less thickener. For apples or blueberries, use 1/2 tablespoon level. For peaches or fresh cherries, use 1 tablespoon. For strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and rhubarb, use 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/smittenkitchen/~3/hYbRfkxpKlM/