pear galette

Today was a cold, rainy day. The kind of day that makes you want to drink hot tea, wear slippers into the afternoon, and avoid going outdoors at all cost. Due to my trip to the northwest and some busy workdays since returning, it has been weeks since I've posted anything made in my own kitchen. To top things off, my last post (over a week ago) features what might be my ugliest food photo ever. Yes, my mom's split pea soup tasted phenomenal, but no, it did not photograph well.

All good reasons to spend some quality time in my kitch making something beautiful and blog-worthy.

Four pretty pears called out to me from the fruit plate: two anjou and two bartlett. JR had bought them to go with the "blue cheese" he purchased, that upon opening the fridge I discovered was really Humboldt Fog chevre - one of my favorite cheeses, but I'd personally prefer to pair it with fruit & nut crackers. Which, in my opinion, meant that the pears were up for grabs.

Up for grabs and the perfect filling for my first galette, which seemed somehow fitting for this cold, fall day. The following recipe is loosely based on one I found on marthastewart.com. My main changes were to swap muscavado sugar for the white sugar called for, to omit corn starch and apricot jam, and to make the dough in my KitchenAid vs. a food processor. I left the skins on the pears to go with the rustic look of the free form pie.

The galette came together quickly and is unquestionably delicious (even without the vanilla ice cream I forgot to pick up at the grocery store to accompany it). Bonus: it photographs much better than split pea soup. :-)

Pear Galette

Serves 6

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. muscavado sugar

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 c. chilled butter, cut into pieces

4 large pears, cut into 1/2" pieces

1/4 c. muscavado sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

coarse sugar (I used demerara)

Combine flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter. Beat until the mixture resembles coarse meal, stopping to incorporate the flour that makes its way up the side of the bowl as needed. Add water slowly while mixer is in motion, mixing just until dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disc, rap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Combine the pears, 1/4 c. sugar, and pinch of salt in a medium bowl.

Roll dough out on floured parchment paper to a roughly 14-inch round (aim for 1/4" thick). Mound pear mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a couple-inch border on all sides. Fold the dough over the pear mixture, overlapping where necessary and gently pressing to adhere folds. Transfer carefully on parchment to a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg in a small bowl. Brush the edges of the dough with egg. Dot the top of the galette with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, about an hour.