Pear Galette
A galette is a rustic version of a fancy French tart or pie, and it’s a very forgiving entrée in the world of pastry for the uninitiated. Serve ever so slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla or maple ice cream, or a dollop of real whipped cream.
For the pastry
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (80 mL) finely ground cornmeal
1/2 cup (125 mL) or 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) ice water, divided
1 free-run egg; well beaten Coarse sugar for garnishing; optional
For the pear filling
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
6 to 8 pears, peeled, core removed, cut into thin slices
Start by making the dough. Mix flour, cornmeal, butter, sugar, salt together in a food processor or stand mixer for a few seconds. Add the ice water and mix until the dough begins to come together. There should still be large chunks of the butter visible.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and form into a ball. Roll the dough to approximately 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick.
Transfer rolled dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F (200oC)
In a medium bowl combine pear slices with sugar, cinnamon and flour to coat evenly.
Remove dough from the refrigerator, spoon fruit into centre of dough, spreading evenly, leaving roughly 2 inches (5 cm) between the filling and edges of the dough.
Fold the dough edges over to overlap the filling; the edges should not close the galette completely. Use a pastry brush to brush beaten egg over the exposed dough; sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the pears are soft.
Remove from oven; allow to cool somewhat before serving.
Serves 8