Blueberry Galette

Posted on August 30, 2013 in Desserts, Galettes, Recipes | 1 comment

Are you craving a freshly baked pie or tart, but find yourself without a pie or tart pan?  Then a galette is the way you need to go!  No muss no fuss dessert.

Pick your favorite fruit, add some sugar and place on top of your favorite rolled out flaky pie dough.  A galette is basically a free form version of a pie or tart.  They can be sweet or savory.  No pan is needed, just some basic skill at folding the crust over the fruit or savory ingredients, to resemble an open face pie. It presents a rustic feel with an simple elegant touch.

I know you want to try this 🙂  Just maybe feeling intimidated by making a pie crust, then just go buy one.  It’s not the end of the world, but I will highly recommend that you try making a homemade crust at some point.  Slightly sweetened fresh fruit packaged around flaky pastry is blissful! 

Ingredients

1 lb fresh blueberries (3 cups)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-oz package) or a homemade pie crust recipe (see below)

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Garnish: grated lemon zest (optional)

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Unwrap store-bought pie dough and unfold onto baking sheet, then spoon blueberry mixture onto center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around edge.  Or follow the crust recipe below.  There are two methods to pick from.

Fold edge of dough over 1 inch of blueberry mixture, pleating dough, then dot blueberry filling with butter pieces. Lightly brush pastry with some of beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar.

Bake until blueberry filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

Best-Ever Pie Crust

Makes 2 pie crusts (enough dough for 1 double-crust pie, 1 lattice-topped pie, or 2 single-crust pies)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup chilled lard or frozen nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Directions

Food Processor Method for Crust

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and lard; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Bowl Method for Crust (which I almost always use)

Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Cut in shortening, using a pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of small peas.  Sprinkle with cold water, 1 T. at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 tsp. more water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball.  Shape into a flattened round on lightly floured surface. (For Two-Crust Pie, divide pastry in half and shape into 2 rounds.) If desired, wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up the shortening slightly, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky and lets the water absorb evenly throughout the dough.  If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, sprinkle top of pastry with a little flour and then roll, into circle 2-inches larger than upside-down pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4-inches.  Fold pastry in half and move it to the parchment lined baking sheet.  Unfold into a round.   Follow the method above when adding the filling and baking the galette.

 Source Epicurious.com