Plum Galette

Sunny Summertime Fare

Recipe by Robin

As readers know, I’m not a piecrust expert, but summertime fruit is an excellent motivator for experimenting with pie-making. Galettes, also known as one-roll pies, have crust edges turned up to cradle fresh fruit and are made on baking sheets. Their informal appearance is perfect on for summer. Treat yourself to a galette after a hot day by preparing and chilling the piecrust during the day. In the evening when it’s cooler, roll out the crust, fill the pie, and bake for just 20 – 30 minutes. Cool slightly, slide onto a serving platter, and enjoy!

Layer Plums over Plum Jam

In this galette, sliced, sweetened, and spiced Mirabelle plums top a thin layer of homemade low sugar plum jam. You can substitute any plum or apricot jam. The amount of sugar added to the fruit can vary. The sweetness of the jam and of the fruit itself, plus your personal preferences will influence the amount of sugar to add. Serving the pie with cream or whipped cream can correct sugar miscalculations. Sweeten the cream if the pie is too tart, or use unsweetened cream to dilute excess pie sweetness. As always, a mixture of ripe and less-ripe fruit adds complexity to the flavor.

Roll up Edges and Seal with Egg Yolk

The piecrust is extremely thin when rolled out, so transfer to a baking sheet could be challenging. Rolling it out on a flexible silicon sheet enables one to simply flip the crust onto the baking sheet. It’s easiest if two people do the flipping. I used a pizza pan for a crisp bottom crust and a template to keep the overall shape of the galette round.

This galette can be made with other stone fruits such as apricots, peaches, and pluots, singly or in combination. Remember to drain the fruit after it’s cut to keep the crust crispy.

Cream Not Strictly Necessary

Mirabelle Plum Galette

serves ~6

6 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

1¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp. ice water

1/3 cup Mirabelle plum jam (or apricot jam)

~1½ lbs. Mirabelle plums

2 - 4 tbsp. raw sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ginger

1 egg yolk

1 - 1½ tsp. water

2 tbsp. raw sugar

Cream or whipped cream, optional garnish

Make piecrust:

In a medium bowl, rub butter into flour with fingertips until mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on ice water and work together with hands until it comes together in a soft dough. You might need a bit of additional water.

Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 – 60 minutes.

Prepare plums:

Slice Mirabelle plums in half or quarters, removing stones. Drain thoroughly, and measure out 2 cups. Mix plums with 2 – 4 tsp. raw sugar to taste, depending upon tartness of plums, tartness of jam, and your tastes. Stir in cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger.

Assemble and bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet.

Roll out piecrust on silicon or other flexible sheet to 13-inch diameter. Trim the edges to make a perfect 12-inch circle with no tears.  Flip onto a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet.

Spread jam in even layer, allowing 1-inch margin on outside. Arrange plums on top of jam. Turn in edges of dough over fruit, crimping as necessary.

Mix egg yolk with water using pastry brush. Brush pastry edges with yolk. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. raw sugar. Sprinkle another 1 tbsp. raw sugar over top of fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Place pizza pan on cooling rack until pie is cool enough to handle. Slide onto serving platter. Serve warm with cream.

Fresh and Informal

Beauty and Flavor Appeal

Simple Magic: Fruit Combined with Pastry