The farmer’s market had fresh blueberries this week, and fearing they might be the last we see this year, we stocked up and got to work. Instant gratification (well, as instant as you can get in the pastry kitchen) is a good thing and a galette is an easy way to make a freshly baked berry dessert. We titled this as “berry” galette because while we used all blueberries, we have successfully made the same tart with the same ingredient amounts using a blueberry/raspberry combo or even a blackberry/blueberry/raspberry mix, so you get to choose. Strawberries, however, are a bit too watery, so save them for another use.
The term galette commonly references a flat, free-form style tart, usually with a fruit filling, however the most well known is probably the Galette des Rois, which typically has an almond frangipane style filling. Here we call it a galette because of the super easy, freestyle, fold-over crust. If you have a disc of pie crust dough in the freezer, as we did, this can come together very quickly. Keep an eye out for late summer berries and give this a try.
- Half a recipe Pie Crust, chilled and ready to roll (or frozen and defrosted in fridge overnight)
- 2 cups fresh berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon milk (we prefer whole)
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (or substitute regular granulated)
- Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Have a baking sheet ready to use as well as a piece of parchment, cut to fit your pan.
- Toss the berries together with the sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
- Lay the parchment down on your work surface and very lightly dust with flour, allowing some flour to go beyond the long edges onto your work surface. Roll pie dough out to a 13-inch round on the parchment (some edges will overlap the parchment onto your work surface where you prepped with flour). Gently mound the fresh berries in the center of the pastry, leaving an approximately 3-inch border all the way around (you can do this by eye). Dot with small pieces of butter. Fold the edges up and over, working your way around the circle, pleating as necessary as you go. It is meant to look rustic, so don't worry about perfection. The galette should fit completely on your parchment now.
- Bring your pan close to the edge of your work surface and slide the parchment, galette and all, onto the pan. Don't try to pick the parchment up, which would crack the pastry. Use conviction and slide it over. Brush the top of the crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Place pan on a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. May be served warm or at room temperature. Best served the same day it is made.
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