Pear Galette
A quick(ish) pear galette for the laid-back baker who wants to indulge in fall baking but has no time to lattice a pie! To streamline the process, and especially if children want to help, I like to make the pie crust in advance so that when I’m ready to bake, all I have to do is roll out the dough, toss the filling, and assemble the galette. The pie crust will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge and a month in the freezer (a great option if you make several at once). Serves 4.
Ingredients
Pie crust
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring surfaces
½ tsp sea salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (dairy or vegan), cut into small cubes
4-5 tbsp ice-cold water
Filling
1/4 cup pecans
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp maple syrup
2 firm pears, thinly sliced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Glaze
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the pie crust: Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3-4 times.
Add the cold butter and pulse 8-10 times until well incorporated.
With the food processor running, add 4 tbsp of ice-cold water, one tbsp at a time. The dough should start to come together; if not, add the last tbsp of water.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, roll it into a ball and flatten it into a 4-inch round disc. Wrap the dough in plastic (I use a beeswax wrap) and place it in the fridge for an hour (or up to 3 days).
Prepare the filling: Place the pecans, flour, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, and all of the nutmeg into a food processor. Blend until the ingredients have the consistency of flour. (This “flour” will be used as a base for the galette to keep the flour from becoming too soggy from the pear juices).
Transfer the pecan flour mixture to a small mixing bowl and add the maple syrup. Be careful not to over mix it - you want the flour to be gritty, rather than doughy.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pears and toss them with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the remaining 3/4 tsp of cinnamon.
Assemble the galette: Remove the dough from the fridge, flour a work surface, and roll the dough into a 10-12-inch circle. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper, then place the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle the pecan mixture onto the middle of the pie crust, leaving a 2 inch clean edge of pie crust (which you will later fold over onto the pears).
Begin layering the pears on top of the pecan mixture. Start in the middle, layering the pears slightly and working your way towards the border of the pecan mixture.
Fold the pie crust up and over the pears, pinching the overlapping edges together to form a nice seal. This doesn’t have to be perfect - a messy, rustic galette is beautiful!
Make the glaze: In a small pot, heat 2 tbsp of butter until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Then add 2 tbsp of honey and mix well.
Using a pastry brush, spread the glaze over the pie crust and the pears.
Place the galette in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pie crust begins to brown.
Remove the galette from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!