Bring some rustic charm to your holiday table, courtesy of Kevin Walsh’s pear galette recipe. Walsh has all the details, from dough to filling to fruit glaze, for a sweet alternative to the standard pie line-up. Follow the instructions below to achieve the flaky, crispy crust (ice-cold butter is key) that pulls this dessert together. You can substitute almost any fruit for the filling, making the galette an entertaining go-to for guests and hosts.
Pear Galette
Details
Servings: 1 galette
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 6 ounces butter, unsalted
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup ice water
- 3 tablespoons almonds
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 pounds pears
- 1/4 cup preserves
- 3 tablespoons Belle de Brillet pear liqueur
- water as needed
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
Directions
For the dough:
- Cube 6 ounces butter into 1/4-inch pieces and chill in the freezer.
- In a dry food processor, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Disperse the butter cubes evenly around the blade and pulse carefully. Do not over work, leaving clumps of unprocessed butter throughout.
- Quickly add in the ice water while pulsing and stop as soon as it forms a loose dough. (The dough should be very clumpy and does not need to form a ball.)
- Set a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Remove the dough from the processor and place it in the middle of the plastic. Gather the plastic around the dough and press it together to form a ball. (This method keeps the cold butter chunks throughout the middle of the dough).
- Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
- Toast and finely grind almonds in a food processor. Cool completely. Whisk the flour, sugar and almonds together to create an almond flour. Set aside.
- Peel and slice the pears, cut into 1/2” slices and set aside.
- Mix the preserves of your choice with Belle de Brillet and a little water to make a preserving liquid. Set aside.
- Once the dough has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, rolling evenly from the middle to the edges to 1/8-inch thickness. (The dough will want to crack, but do the best you can to form a circle. In the end, the rustic presentation looks great.)
- Transfer the dough to an inverted half-sized sheet tray and spread the almond flour evenly in the middle of the dough. Place the pears on top.
- Gently fold the sides of the dough up around the edges of the pears, piecing it together as best as you can to avoid holes in the edges. Sprinkle 2/3 cup sugar over the pears in the center. Place small pieces of the remaining butter around the pears.
- Put the galette in the middle of the oven and rotate after 30 minutes. After an additional 35 minutes, check the bottom of the galette to make sure it is golden brown. (If you have convection oven, use the fan.)
- If browned, brush the preserve liquid generously over the edges with a pastry brush. Return to the oven for 2 minutes to get a glossy finish on the crust.
- Let the galette cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack or a plate and cool completely for 20 minutes. Cut like a pizza and serve with ice-cream.
