Makes: 8 galettes
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 25 to 30 minutes
Galettes were my introduction to the world of pastry and are still one of my favourite things to make. These single-crust pies are so easy that most kids can make them with very little supervision, and the fact that they are supposed to look rustic is a bonus for those who don’t feel confident making a pie crust. The possibilities for filling a fruit galette are endless, but I’ve chosen mixed berries because they bake up so well and are so pretty. Once you have made one galette, you’ll be hooked! Note that you need to allow time to make and chill the pastry before assembling and baking the galettes. You can make the pastry the day before if you like.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 cups (200 g) mixed berries (I like raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Grated zest from 1 small lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
To assemble
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
- Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
To serve
- Vanilla ice cream or Chantilly cream
Directions
For pastry
1Prepare the sweet shortcrust pastry. See Sweet shortcrust pastry.
For the filling
1Combine the berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest in a small bowl. Stir to coat the berries thoroughly and set aside.
2Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F (175 ̊C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
3Divide the pastry into eight pieces and roll each piece out to a rough circle about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. If necessary, trim the rolled-out shapes with a pizza cutter so they are more or less round. Place the circles of dough on the parchment-lined baking trays. They should not be touching.
4Use a ¼-cup (60 ml) measure to divide the berry mixture evenly between the dough circles. Place the berries in the centre of the dough and use the bottom of the measuring cup to flatten them slightly. You should leave a border of about 1½ inches (4 cm) around the edge.
Top tip:
If your berries are quite large, you can cut them in half. If you do that, you might not need as much of the lemon juice, since cut berries may give off more juice.
Assemble the galettes
1Working with one circle at a time, fold the uncovered edges of dough up and around the filling, working your way around the circle. You’ll end up with pleated edges that are a little rough and you might need to trim some uneven parts to ensure you don’t end up with a thick area of just crust.
2Brush the edges of each galette with a little egg wash and sprinkle the pastry with sugar.
3Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the berries are cooked.
4Remove from the oven and place the galettes on wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Chantilly cream.
Top tip:
The word “galette” in French can have many meanings. Here, it describes an open-faced, single-crust tart but it can also mean savoury crêpes, a puff pastry dessert eaten at Epiphany or even shortbread cookies. Make sure you know which one you are ordering if you’re in a French restaurant.
This is an excellent entry-level dessert for novice bakers. Since the dough circles won’t be perfect and the berries will leak some juice out onto the baking trays anyway, they will all look a little mismatched but they are meant to be “rustic” (this is what I call anything I make that doesn’t turn out perfectly now!). Whenever I make these with my boys’ cooking club, nobody cares how they look. The boys think they are delicious and the parents are impressed their child made pastry from scratch!
IMAGE © KYLA ZANARDI / MARDI MICHELS
First printed in our sister publication France Today
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