Blueberry Galette

Not only did we make great savory food when my family visited, but my mother-in-law introduced me to my new favorite dessert: galette!  The popular definition of a galette is an open-faced pie, though there are different types of galettes in other parts of the world.  The type of galette that I'm talking about is made with pie dough which is loosely wrapped around a fruit filling.  There are some great stone fruits that are ripe right now, especially plums, so it is a particularly good time to try it out!  During my family's stay, we made an apricot and a plum galette, which were fabulous.  I had a bunch of blueberries in the freezer that I picked off my blueberry bush earlier in the season, so making a blueberry galette seemed like a good idea.

The main reason that I wanted to share this particular recipe is because we discovered the most delicious, flaky pie crust.  We had a discussion about pie crusts, and how important it is that the vessel that carries your pie filling should be just as decadent as the filling...otherwise, what's the point in even having a crust?  This time, I think we succeeded in that endeavor.  I was amazed at the durability of the crust; it held up beautifully while baking and didn't get soggy, even after we refrigerated it.  Plus, it tasted great.

The secret to this new crust was a combination of two things: pastry flour and butter-flavored palm oil shortening.  Since I can't have dairy and I'm not a big fan of shortening, I haven't made a pie in some time.  My mother-in-law told me of a new shortening, though, that was made out of non-hydrogenated palm oil, which is supposedly good for you (I've been reading that palm and coconut oil are good, healthy fats).  We were both a little skeptical at first, but our experimentation had fantastic results.

Pastry flour is also an important component because it has less gluten than all-purpose flour, so it will be softer and more malleable.  The higher the gluten content in a flour, the more gluten protein bonds will form, and therefore make your dough tougher.  For breads, you want those bonds because they will give your bread structure.  With pastries, though, you want something that will stay soft and flaky, so less gluten is better.  All purpose flour will work in this case, but you might get a slightly tougher crust.

The only note that I have on this dough is to not over mix it in any way, even if you use pastry flour.  My crust was a little more dense than our previous tries, and I think it was because I cut the shortening into the flour until it looked like coarse cornmeal, and I think that was too far.  It's OK if there are medium-sized or uneven chunks of shortening in the flour..this will make it softer and flakier.  I recommend using a pastry cutter instead of the food processor (like I did) because it is a softer touch.  Also, there is no need to knead this dough.  Treat it like biscuit dough: very carefully!

Pastry cutter

As, I've mentioned, there are a wide variety of fruits that will make a great galette, though very runny fillings could prove difficult since this pastry is open-faced.  Or, you could turn this dessert into dinner by trying out some savory fillings.  This pie dough would make an amazing open-faced pot pie!


Pie Dough
makes enough for 1 galette

1 1/4 cup pastry flour (plus a little extra for rolling out the dough)
1/3 cup plus 1 TB butter-flavored palm oil shortening (I used Spectrum's Brand)
1/2 tsp salt
3-5 TB ice cold water (more or less to make the dough come together)
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Add flour, shortening, and salt into a medium sized bowl or food processor.  Use a pastry cutter to cut the shortening into the flour until it well mixed: the shortening pieces should be the size of peas or smaller.  Or pulse ingredients in a food processor until well mixed.  Slowly add ice-cold water to the mixture until is just comes together.  It shouldn't be too dry or too sticky.

2. Place dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and flatten into a disk.  Wrap dough and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3. While it is chilling, prepare filling (see recipe below). Also, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper to bake the galette on.
4. After dough had properly chilled, sprinkle a thin layer of flour on your counter or cutting board.  Roll out the dough to fit your baking sheet, and about 1/4 inch thick.  Roll dough up onto your rolling pin, then lay it carefully on your baking sheet.

Rolling the dough onto the rolling pin is a fabulous trick I learned in baking class!  It is a great way to easily move dough from one place to another.

5. Add filling on top of dough, and cut any extra dough off the sides (if needed).  Slowly roll the dough over the filling in a shell-like pattern leaving the middle open-faced.  

6. Whisk your egg well, then brush a thin layer of it over your crust.  Sprinkle with extra sugar if desired.

You just need a very thin layer of egg wash, otherwise it will create gummy places where the egg is thick.

7. Bake galette for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 

NOTE: this recipe refrigerates well, so you can enjoy it the next day!



Blueberry Filling
makes enough for 1 galette

NOTE: you can easily substitute the blueberries for other kinds of fruit.  But this does mean you will have to adjust the amount of sugar and lemon juice depending on how sweet or tart your fruit is.

3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3 TB brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon

1. In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and toss until berries are coated.  Let sit for about 5-10 minutes to let the sugar dissolve and fruit macerate.  This will create a delicious syrup.
2. See instructions above for baking instructions.


YUM!! :)