Despite its fussy-sounding name, a galette is just a round of piecrust dough, with fruit in the middle, that is folded up around the fruit in pretty pleats. They are one of my favorite desserts to make because the filling can be easily changed to reflect what is in season (see variations). Very simple and very rustic, you can easily make this with store-bought piecrust dough if you don’t feel like making your own.
Ingredients
FOR THE GALETTE DOUGH
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons cold cream cheese
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
FOR THE PEAR FILLING
- 3 medium-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears, cored and cut into ¼-inch-
- thick slices
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 0.125 teaspoon plus a pinch of kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
How to Make It
- To make the galette dough: Whisk the egg yolk and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine (or place in a large bowl if making the dough by hand). Add the butter and pulse 3 times (or work it in for about 10 seconds by hand, rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips). Add the cream cheese and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal, about eight (1-second) pulses (or use your fingers to rub the cream cheese and butter into the flour). Add the egg mixture and pulse to combine (or use a fork to stir it in). Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and, with a fork, stir in 4 tablespoons of the ice water. Squeeze the dough together—if it holds its shape, there’s no need to add more water. If it is dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more of the remaining ice water, stir, and make sure the dough holds together before proceeding.
- Set a large sheet of plastic wrap onto your work surface. Gather the dough into a ball and press it onto the plastic into a ½-inch-thick circle. Wrap completely with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- To make the pear filling: Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place the pears in a medium-size bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice, ⅓ cup sugar, cinnamon, cardamom (if using), and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg, 1 tablespoon water, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour the top and let the dough warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, then roll it into a 15- to 16-inch circle about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet pan and pile the pears in the middle, leaving a 3-inch border around the edges. Cut the butter into small pieces and dot the top of the pears with it. Loosely fold the edges of the dough around the pears, pleating the dough as you go, leaving the tart open in the middle.
- Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle the dough with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Refrigerate the tart on the sheet pan for 30 minutes, or up to overnight (if refrigerating overnight, wrap the sheet pan in plastic wrap).
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the tart until the crust is deeply golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into pieces and serve. Leftovers will keep at room temperature for 1 day or covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (rewarm in the oven to crisp the dough before serving).
