Petite Cherry Galette

Got lots of sour cherries you don’t know what to do with?

 

So does my friend, Nicole!

 

Her tree was full of ripe tart cherries until we picked it last weekend.

 

What would be the best way to showcase these little beauties?

I decided on a galette.

 

Galettes are wonderful little pies without the pie plate.

 

Self-contained pie?!

 

What could be more perfect?!

 

Curious as to the origins of this word galette, Merriam Webster informed me it comes from the French and was first used in 1775, derived from galet meaning rounded pebble.

 

Interesting, now onto the recipe.  This will make 6 galettes.

 

Print this Recipe

 

Flaky Pastry Dough

 

none other than The Joy of Cooking recipe

 

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. powdered sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. shortening (I used Butter-flavored Crisco)

1/2 c. ice cold water

spray bottle with ice cold water

parchment paper

rolling pin

 

I have always used the Joy of Cooking’s flaky pastry dough recipe for my pies.  I learned to improve upon an already great crust after attending a King Arthur Flour pie baking demonstration in March where they gave some great pie crust tips;

 

1. Work with your dough on parchment.

2. Use a spray bottle to add water in the final stages of creating your dough.  This way it doesn’t become too wet.

 

So, with these tips in mind – let’s make our crust!

 

Note:  This will make 2 pie crusts and this recipe only uses one.  Throw the other one in the freezer in a dated ziploc bag – next time you need pie dough, you’ll be ready.

 

Combine the flour, sugar and salt.

 

Cut the stick of shortening into 8 chunks and place on top of the flour mixture.

With two serrated knives, cut in the shortening by criss-crossing the knives down into the flour until the shortening chunks are the size of nickels.

Pour in half of the ice-cold water and work the dough gently with bare hands, add the other half of the water and continue working the dough just until mixed.  This will not be a nice ball of dough, it will be dry in places.

Pour this lumpy dough onto a piece of parchment paper and lightly spray the dry sections with the water bottle.

Bring the parchment paper up and over the dough and work it into a ball by continuing to lightly spray and folding the dough in with the parchment paper until a ball is formed.

Split this into 2 balls and wrap up in the parchment paper.

 

Refrigerate while pitting the cherries.

 

Cherry Filling

 

10 oz. pitted sour cherries

2/3 c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. almond extract

Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl and let sit while rolling out 1 of the pie crusts.

 

Making the Galette

Roll the dough out between parchment paper to about 1/3 inch thick and then cut with a 3 7/8 round biscuit cutter.

This will make 6 dough rounds.

Then roll out each round to about an 1/8 inch thick.

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Prepare an egg wash by beating together one egg and 1 T. milk.

 

Place one round on the parchment.

 

Brush the inner 1/2 inch edge with egg wash.

 

Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of cherry mixture.  Be careful of not adding too much juice.  It will bubble over when baked.  A little overflow is OK because it gives the edge a nice crispness but too much overflow and you will have burnt sugar!

 

You may have a few left over cherries, bake ’em in a dish and put ’em on top of ice cream!

 

Fold up the edges of the dough and crimp to form a nice round galette.

 

Brush egg wash on the top outer edge of the crust.

 

Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

 

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

 

Rustic, flaky, sour, sweet, salty!

Posted on July 15, 2011
This entry was posted in baking, brunch, desserts, pies and tagged butter, french, galette, joy of cooking, pie, sour cherries.