Plum Galette

Make the crust:

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook gives instructions for making this dough in a food processor, but my machine would choke, so I make it by hand. You’ll need a big bowl for this. Dump your flour into said bowl. Add salt and sugar. Now get the butter out of the freezer, and cut it into bits with your sharpest knife.

As you work, toss the butter bits into the bowl of flour.

If your butter starts softening, pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes.

Eventually you’ll have a bowl of flour topped with cold butter bits. If this has warmed up, park it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. If your freezer is too crowded, the fridge is fine.

Now, using your fingers or a pastry blender, work the flour and butter together into pebbly, sandy bits.  Add the icewater. Stir with a wooden spoon, spatula, or, my preference, one clean hand. Form a shaggy, dusty dough. It will not cohere entirely. Don’t worry.

Tip this mess onto a clean counter or work surface. Knead lightly.  You might worry it won’t come together. It will. Avoid adding flour or water: the butter will pull everything together. Try not to overhandle it.

Once the dough comes together, form it into rough square. Cut this in two, aiming for equally-sized portions. I use a bench scraper for this, but a knife is fine. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, freezing one portion for your next baking adventure. Place the other portion in the fridge, chilling it for at least an hour, or, if you lose power, up to five days (just leave it in there. Nothing will happen to it.)

While to dough chills, if you’re planning to use the optional crumble, make it now:

In a medium bowl, mix the 3/4 cup/150g sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and the salt. Now add 2 tablespoons cold butter, breaking it into bits with your clean fingers, creating a mix of larger and smaller bits. You’ll need 2-3 tablespoons of this for the galette. Put the remainder in a sealed container, label it, and refrigerate or freeze it for your next baking adventure.

Wash and dry your fruit. Peel it, or don’t,  Slice into nice shapes, or make a total hash of it. Set aside while you roll the dough.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400F/205C.

Have a large baking sheet to hand. Cover it with parchment paper.

Scatter flour on your clean worktop. It helps to have some on your rolling pin, too.

Roll the dough into a roughly 12inch/30cm round, or something resembling that–I barely managed an oblong here, and the result was eaten all the same.

Carefully transfer your masterpiece to the parchment-lined tray. Now begin arranging the fruit on it, either in a nice pattern or a disarranged jumble. Do leave about 1 inch/6cm border. I found 4-good sized pluots, weighing 1 pound/464 grams, were good for a thick single layer of fruit slices. I used off-cuts to fill in gaps.

Now fold over the border, pleating and crimping gently so the edges adhere. Don’t worry if the end result looks rough. Look at the photo. It’s not the work of a pastry professional. Nobody noticed. They were too busy eating.

Scatter the crumble over the fruit, if using. Now shake the almond extract over.

Paint the crust with the egg wash, then scatter with sugar. Sanding sugar is nice, if you remember to buy it. I never do.

Bake the galette 30-40 minutes. It’s done when the crust is browned. The fruit will darken slightly; it may bubble a little. If you tap the crust, it will sound hollow.

Cool on a rack.

This galette is good natured; loosely wrapped in foil, it keeps in the fridge for a week or so. It also freezes well for up to three months, provided the power isn’t shut off without warning…though now that I think of it, this galette would survive a power cut. It would go a bit soggy, but unlike frozen steaks or chicken, it won’t go off and require tossing. A comforting thought in unsettling times.

Notes:

It’s hard to give exact amounts here.  If you have leftover fruit, eat it.

Obviously, buy the best fruit you can afford. To peel or not? If the fruit is organic, no. If it’s pesticide free, wash it. If it’s conventional, wash it really well or peel it.

You’ll only need two-three tablespoons of the crumble; this recipe makes much more. Save the leftover in a labeled, tightly lidded container. Refrigerate or freeze it, and use it for your next baking adventure. I used it again just last night for muffins.

Don’t like almond extract? Substitute any of the following:

A teaspoon of vanilla, a teaspon of Amaretto, or a teaspoon of Slivovitz (plum liqueur).

If you aren’t using the crumble, taste fruit for sweetness; you may want to add more sugar atop the galette. I make the crumble and scatter about a teaspoon, but prefer a less sweet galette.

I was reading Diana Henry’s latest cookbook, From The Oven To The Table, and she recommended using bits of marzipan on top of crumble in one of the recipes. If you have marzipan, you could add some here, too, instead of the sugar.