Fruit Galette
Making this rustic, free-form pie couldn’t be more elementary. You still have to know how to prepare the dough and roll it out, but after that it’s quite forgiving. The foldover crust requires less fuss than does a pastry shell baked in a pan. Just arrange the sweetened fruit in the center of the dough, then fold the border up and over the filling and bake. Make sure to taste the fruit before you begin, adding more sugar if it tastes very tart.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
For crust
For filling
For finishing
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare oven and baking sheet Heat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat (such as Silpat).
Step 2
Roll out dough and chill Let dough sit out at room temperature until slightly malleable, about 10 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch round (it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle; the shape can be rough). Transfer to prepared baking sheet by rolling it around the rolling pin, then unrolling onto sheet; refrigerate 15 minutes.
Step 3
Make filling Mix together fruit, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Remove pastry from refrigerator and arrange fruit over center, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Fold border over filling, allowing the dough to fall naturally into creases.
Step 4
Finish crust and bake Whisk together egg (or yolk) and cream, and brush over edges of galette. Sprinkle crust generously with sanding sugar. Bake until filling is bubbling in the center and crust is dark golden brown, about 1 1/4 hours. (It’s very important that the juices are bubbling; if they are not, the cornstarch will not be activated and will not thicken the juices.) If a lot of juices have leaked out, run an offset spatula under tart to release it from the sheet. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Transfer galette to rack, and let cool completely before serving. Galette is best eaten the same day it is baked.
Equipment
Step 5
Make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet for a galette; a rimless sheet will allow the juices to run over the sides and burn on the oven floor. Line the sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
Ingredients
Step 6
This recipe uses plums, but you can substitute an equal weight of other stone fruits. Halved figs, whole berries, or sliced ripe pears also make great fillings. If using figs, which tend to be less juicy than plums, reduce the cornstarch to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Step 7
An acidic ingredient is essential for brightening the flavor of the fruit; lemon juice is used with the plums, but lime juice would be nice with apricots.
Step 8
Cornstarch is the preferred thickener for pies made with stone fruit and berries, as the juices will be less cloudy, but you can use all-purpose flour in its place, particularly if you are baking pears or apples (whose juices are naturally cloudy). Bear in mind that you will need to substitute twice the amount of flour for the cornstarch.
Step 9
To make the egg wash, you can use either a whole egg or just a yolk. A crust brushed with a whole-egg wash will be shinier; the yolk produces a browner finish. Heavy cream enhances the color.
