Friday, May 15, 2009

Blueberry Plum Galette


I spotted my first plum of the season and I’m totally thrilled to be back to making simple and delicious galettes filled with the fruit of the moment. I also had some blueberries on hand so decided to make a spring mix.

Galettes are simply the French version of a single crust pie without the need for a pie pan. When you want to savor nature at its finest without much embellishment, this is a quick and easy way to showcase the season's brightest flavors using your favorite fruit.



Bench notes:

- Resist the temptation to add any more water to the pastry dough. Work it slowly and gently and it will come together.
- The amount of flour and/or sugar to use for the filling will depend on your choice of fruit. Plums tend to be quite tart and blueberries are quite juicy.


Blueberry Plum Galette
Serves 8

Galette Dough

1 C flour
1 1/2 t sugar
1/8 t salt
3 oz cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 C cold water

Filling

1 large plum
3 C fresh blueberries
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 C sugar
1 T flour

1 T butter, melted
sugar to sprinkle

To prepare galette dough, whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have mostly small pieces the size of tiny peas and some just a bit larger. You can use your fingers to do this or a pastry blender works very well. Be sure each piece of butter is coated with flour. Add the cold water and mix gently with a fork or your fingers until the dough just starts to come together. Gather the dough on a work surface. Use a pastry scraper or metal spatula to get under the dough and fold it back onto itself. Gently pat down with your hands into a loose disc. Repeat this process again once or twice until the dough looks like it’s coming together. Place the dough on a piece of plastic and wrap tightly. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

When you are ready to roll out the dough, remove from the refrigerator and rest on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper for a few minutes so it can soften just a bit to prevent cracking. Then roll the dough out to a 14” circle about 1/8”thick, moving the dough after each roll and keeping the parchment lightly floured as needed. When you have the desired shape, lift the parchment onto a flat pizza pan or baking sheet. Chill for about a half hour.

Squeeze juice of half a lemon into a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Slice the plum into thin wedges and toss in the lemon juice with the blueberries. Combine the sugar and the flour and set aside.

Remove prepared galette dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle two tablespoons of the flour/sugar mixture evenly across the bottom, leaving about a 1 1/2” border all the way around. Arrange the fruit evenly on top. Sprinkle with the remaining flour/sugar. Now start to lift and gather the dough up and on top of the fruit, being very careful not to create any cracks that will cause the galette to leak. Work with both hands, pressing gently to keep the dough in place. Chill for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the border of dough with melted butter and dust the dough with a generous sprinkle of plain or coarse sugar. Bake for about 40 – 50 minutes, until the dough is crisp and browned. Cool on a wire rack to keep the bottom of the galette crisp.

15 comments:

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

i'm excited about stone fruit too because like you, i love the simplicity of galettes. i got some cherries and i am planning on making something with them. probably something simple like this. maybe a crisp.

Rose said...

Ooooh that looks beautiful! I found some amazing cherries as well, that are calling out for this! well done!

jb said...

My this looks lovely. Finally an excuse to buy pounds of plums!

tengo hambre said...

yes, the first plums are appearing! i'm glad your photo is on foodgawker. you know it's food porn when you start to salivate. :o)

Bunny said...

I love to make galettes! My first one was apple and I loved it. The color is outstanding in yours!

Joanne Choi said...

I've been frequenting a farmers market and this post has got me thinking of finding the best stone fruits so that I can also make a galette. It'll be my first time, but I'm excited.

Anonymous said...

Plums, there so unappreciated in our country, only good for prunes! I love them in cakes, strudels and preserves. Your tart is truly a work of art!

valerié-jeanne said...

I forgot to enter my name, oops.

Jesse said...

Despite all the fancy whimsical desserts there are in the world, my favorite desserts are the simple rustic ones, like this galette. It's beautiful!

Joy the Baker said...

I love a giant fruit Galette! This one is just gorgeous! I can't wait until I can find gorgeous plums at the market.

Helene said...

Happy belated birthday! Can't believe we share the same day! Or did I know that? Did I say that last year? I am getting old!
I am in the middle of blackberry season here but I can't wait for the first stone fruits here next month!
Love galettes and yours looks delicious!

Diana H said...

This lookds delicious. I can't wait for blueberries to come in season. I love galettes.

Kinton said...

I made my first galette not long ago, a savory one with apples and sausage. delicious!

MC said...

Gorgeous galette! I have plums and blueberries (which I picked last summer) in the freezer. Would they work here or be too wet?

pastry studio said...

Hello MC!

To be honest, I've never worked with frozen fruit. But I think it may help to take the chill off for about 15-20 minutes so you can drain excess water and toss the fruit with the sugar and the flour. You can also use amaretti or gingersnap cookie crumbs on the bottom if you think you might have too much juice. I hope this works for you!