On Sundays I like to bake, when I'm anxious I like to bake and when I am stressed out I like to bake. For whatever reason, it's very cathartic and relaxing for me. So what does one do with 3 dozen cookies or a couple dozen muffins after non stop stress baking? I give them away to my friends, of course.
You will love this Berry Galette Dessert!
Recently, I was going to a potluck recently and I wanted to make a pie, but wasn't in the mood for all the work. So I decided to make a galette AKA the lazy man's pie. It's a free form pie/tart and it is fabulous. It looks rustic and pretty, so you get points for a beautifully baked pie without all the work. It's a win-win if you ask me.
What is a Galette?
A galette is a French pastry that is typically made with a flaky crust and filled with fruit or other ingredients.
It is often described as a "free-form pie" or “lazy pie” because it doesn't require a pie dish.
Here are some of the different types of galettes:
- Sweet galette: This is the most common type of galette, and it is filled with a variety of fruits, such as apples, berries, or peaches.
- Savory galette: Savory galettes like this butternut squash and cheese pie are great as an entree dish. Savory galettes can be filled with a variety of ingredients, such as vegetables and proteins
Berry Galette Ingredients
Galette Crust:
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Granutaled Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Cold water
Blackberry Filling:
- Fresh blackberries
- Granutaled sugar
- All purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Egg
- Water
- Lemon Zest
How to make a Galette Pastry
Start by making the crust
- Combine flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of sugar in a food processor or in a bowl with a hand mixer. Add butter and mix until the mixture looks crumbly, with the butter the size of small peas.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing until mixture starts to clump together. When you are able to pinch the dough and it holds together, it's done.
- Remove dough from the mixer and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently shape and knead the dough into a disk. Don't over do it. You should be able to see little bits of butter through out the dough. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
Make your blackberry filling
- In a medium bowl, mix together the blackberries, ½ cup of sugar, tablespoon of flour and pinch of cinnamon.
- Gently fold the blackberries until it is all well incorporated. Place in the refrigerator until ready to pour into the rolled out pie crust.
Assemble your galette
- Remove the disk from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Over a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 10-12 inch circle. Make sure your dough is not sticking to the surface, add flour as needed.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, dump the blackberry mixture into the center or the dough and spread it out evenly leaving a 1-2 inch crust. Fold the edges of the pie crust letting it fold where it wants to.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the black berries. Make an eggwash in a small bowl using 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the dough for a shiny and golden crust.
- After brushing on the egg wash, sprinkle a little bit of whatever left over sugar is left from the filling along the crust.
- Place the galette in the oven for 30 minutes. While it's baking, go ahead and make your whipped cream. Mix until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix.
- Wait for the galette to cool completely, sprinkle lemon zest over the top and then add a big dollop of the whipped cream over your slice of galette and enjoy!
Fruit Galette Pie FAQs
Yes, you can use a variety of fruits for galettes. Popular choices include apples, berries, peaches, plums, and rhubarb.
The crust should be golden brown and the fruit filling should be bubbling.
Make sure to fold the edges of the dough over the filling to seal it in. You can also use a layer of streusel topping to help contain the filling.
Drain the fruit well before adding it to the pastry. You can also add a tablespoon of cornstarch or all purpose flour to the fruit filling to help absorb excess moisture.
Yes, you can use store-bought pie crust or puff pastry for convenience. However, making your own dough can be a rewarding experience.
Make sure the dough is rolled out to an even thickness and that the filling is not overflowing. Also, avoid overfilling the galette.
Yes, you can use other types of dough, such as pie crust or shortcrust pastry. However, puff pastry is a classic choice for galettes.
Here are a few tips to prevent the bottom of your galette from getting soggy:
1. Preheat the baking sheet: A hot baking sheet will help the crust cook evenly and prevent it from becoming soggy. Preheat the sheet to the temperature specified in your recipe.
2. Use a parchment paper lining: Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet before adding the galette. This will help prevent the bottom crust from sticking and becoming soggy.
3. Avoid overfilling: Make sure not to overfill the galette with fruit. If the filling is too runny, it can leak out and make the bottom crust soggy.
I do not recommend this galette being assembled ahead of time.
In order to avoid this galette becoming to soggy, I do not recommend assembling this pie ahead of time. You can make the pie dough ahead of time.
Blackberries are a delicate fruit and in order to avoid the fruit filling from seeping out, it’s best to wait until just before baking to assemble the galette.
Yes, galettes are best enjoyed warm. The combination of the flaky, buttery crust and the warm, juicy filling is most enjoyable when the galette is served fresh from the oven.
However, if you prefer, you can also enjoy a galette at room temperature.
Galettes are versatile pastries that can be enjoyed with a variety of side dishes and toppings. While this blackberry galette is paired with homemade whipped cream, here are some popular alternatives:
Sweet Galettes:
- Ice cream: A classic pairing for fruit galettes, especially vanilla or fruit-flavored ice cream.
- Powdered sugar: A simple yet elegant way to finish a galette.
- Honey: Drizzle a bit of honey over the galette for a touch of sweetness.
This blackberry galette recipe is one of my favorite to make during the hot summer months. The berries are slightly tart and refreshing.
Fruit Galette Dessert with Blackberries
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups of all purpose flour plus some extra for rolling.
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- ½ cup of unsalted very cold butter cut into small cubes
- 3 tablespoons of cold water
- Filling:
- 2 cups of blackberries
- ½ cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon of water
- 1 zest of one lemon
- Homemade Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup of confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Combine flour, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of sugar in a food processor (hand mixer works fine if you don't have a food processor). Add butter and mix until the mixture looks crumbly, with the butter the size of small peas. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing until mixture starts to clump together. When you are able to pinch the dough and it holds together, it's done.
- Remove dough from the mixer and place on a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently shape and knead the dough into a disk. Don't over do it. You should be able to see little bits of butter through out the dough. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Right before pulling your pie dough from the refrigerator to roll out, make your pie filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the blackberries, ½ cup of sugar, tablespoon of flour and pinch of cinnamon.
- Gently fold the blackberries until it is all well incorporated. Feel free to substitute the blackberries for any other berry. Place in the refrigerator until ready to pour into the rolled out pie crust.
- Remove the disk from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Over a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 10-12 inch circle. Make sure your dough is not sticking to the surface, add flour as needed.
- Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, dump the blackberry mixture into the center or the dough and spread it out evenly leaving a 1-2 inch crust. Fold the edges of the pie crust letting it fold where it wants to.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the black berries. Make an eggwash in a small bowl using 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the dough for a shiny and golden crust.
- After brushing on the egg wash, sprinkle a little bit of whatever left over sugar is left from the filling along the crust.
- Place that bad boy in the oven for 30 minutes. While it's baking, go ahead and make your whipped cream. I suggest making a double batch because you will eat half of it with a spoon, or so I've been told.
- Now to make your whipped cream. Combine all three ingredients using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Mix until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix.
- Wait for the galette to cool completely, sprinkle lemon zest over the top and then add a big dollop of the whipped cream over your slice of galette and enjoy!
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