So, what is galette exactly? Galettes are the oldest of all pastries, but it gets a bit complicated because the term galette is used to refer to many different baked goods.
A galette Breton is a buckwheat crepe filled with a savory filling such as ham, cheese or a fried egg. A galette de rois (king cake) is a flaky puff pastry cake with a cream center eaten in France on the day of Epiphany. And if you order a galette in Normandy, you may find yourself eating a crisp sable butter cookie.
I love galettes whether they are sweet or savory. To me they are a tasty art form waiting to be eaten and enjoyed. An apricot galette is a special dessert that strikes a balance between simplicity and elegance.
A galette is more of a formula than a strict recipe. They can be created with various stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums, or even apples and pears as well as savory ingredients. The result is a pleasingly rustic looking pastry that doesn’t require perfection but still looks impressive.
With an apricot galette, you get the best of summer—a ripe, sweet fruit that speaks for itself. Apricots need very little added sugar, allowing their natural flavor to shine through.
| Servings |
|
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/3 cup ice water (add gradually as you may need less)
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 7 (about 4 cups sliced apricots) apricots, halved, pitted & thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
Ingredients
Pastry
Filling
Finish Ingredients
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in the butter until mixture resembles BOTH coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not, add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. Do not overwork dough.
- Press dough into a disk shape & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two or it can be wrapped airtight & frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped in refrigerator.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients. Gently stir until everything is combined & the fruit is evenly coated with the spices. Taste & adjust the flavors as needed. Set aside & let macerate until the dough is chilled.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Remove chilled pie dough from fridge & divide into 4 balls. On a piece of parchment paper, the size of your baking sheet, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle. Spoon 1/4 of the filling evenly over each circle, leaving a 1-inch border. Gently fold pastry over the filling, pleating it to form the individual galettes. Brush with egg wash & sprinkle with coarse sugar if you prefer.
- Bake about 35 minutes until filling bubbles & crust is golden. Remove from oven & cool on a wire rack. Serve as is or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Bake as one large galette if you prefer. When I made these individual galettes, I placed the pastry in 4-inch springform tart pans to add a little more 'pizzaz' to the look. Just personal preference but not necessary.
