Cherry Galette (with homemade or puff pastry)
When you make a galette, you don't have to line, crimp and blind-bake the crust. And is enough to try it, especially if you're a beginner baker or apprehensive about your pie-making skills. This free-form, rustic cherry tart has fresh fruit and almond cream, and the result is juicy, slightly sweet, crunchy, and plain delicious.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown or white sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter cold and in small pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup ice water stir ice cubes in tap water
- 1 puff pastry sheet store-bought, intead of the homemade crust
Egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For the quick frangipane (almond cream):
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
For the cherry filling:
- 3 cups pitted cherries halved
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for sprinkling before serving
Instructions
For the crust:
- In a bowl, mix 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup light brown and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cold and in pieces. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, cut in the butter until the mixture has coarse pea-sized bits.
- Add ¼ cup ice water and mix with a fork until the ingredients are combined and moistened. If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of extra water or a tablespoon of extra flour if it's too wet.
- Use your hands to gather the dough into a round on a lightly floured counter. Don’t overknead it. Handle it quickly, and don’t let the butter start to soften. You can use a dough scraper to help you gather the dough.
- Make a ball with the dough, wrap it well in plastic and refrigerate it for 1 hour before rolling. At this point, you can keep it chilled for a day.
Make the frangipane:
- In a bowl, combine 1 cup almond flour, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Mix well until the ingredients are integrated and the mixture is smooth. Alternatively, use a small food processor to make a paste. Set aside.
Prepare the cherry pie filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Mix 1 egg yolk with 2 tablespoons cold waterr for the egg wash and reserve.
- In a bowl combine 3 cups pitted cherries, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir to mix and set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface or on parchment paper, roll the cold dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Or use the store-bought puff pastry
- Spread the frangipane covering most of the dough but leaving a 2-inch border.
- Scatter the cherries over the almond cream. Carefully fold the edges of the dough over the cherries.
- Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Sprinkle some brown or white sugar over the egg mixture.
- Immediately put in the preheated oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving, dust with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Fresh or frozen fruit? Though we always favor fresh cherries when available, frozen ones are a great way to make this cherry dessert in the off-season. Just make sure you buy pitted cherries.
Pie crust: homemade dough adds a lot to the finished dessert, but you can use a good puff pastry from the bakery if you're short on time.
