Plum Galette | Jacques Pépin

Galettes, sweet or savory, are one of my favorite pies to bake. What’s there not to like? Galettes are free form, very little wasted dough, easy to work with and highly adaptable to seasonal ingredients. The notion that this plum galette is a favorite dessert in Jacques Pépin’s house, the more the reason to test it out and compare it with my goto galette recipe.

I’m excited about how forgiving the pâte brisée dough is. There are only four ingredients: all-purpose flour, salt, butter and water. That’s it, and no sugar. The dough comes together in seconds in a food processor. However, having to use one-and-a-half sticks of butter for a single dough crust gives me pause; it’s not for the faint of heart.

On the other hand, if you have cravings for croissants from time to time looking for rich and shattering crust, this galette dough almost gets you there. Furthermore, if you’ve endured the trouble of making your own puff pastry (the croissant dough) and understand how much work is involved, the risk/reward is firmly in favor of this particular Jacques Pépin’s dough. Who would argue that once in a while indulgence is just fine? The flaky texture coming from the high butter content of the galette dough is highly addictive — be forewarned.

There are other desirable features working for the dough. 1) No need to prebake. 2) The almond and all-purpose flour mixture, plus a small amount of sugar (similar to an almond paste but without eggs) make up the crumb layer on the bottom. As a result, 3) no worry about a soggy bottom. In fact, I’m able to hold up a slice of the plum galette with my fingers. Pizza-like and eat while standing is advantageous.

The recipe calls for 2 1/2 pounds of plums. I don’t even have two pounds. But, that doesn’t stop me from filling the fruits on the bottom of a 9-inch pie while using the same amount of dough. On top of that, there is no need to make or cook the filling. Simply put the smallish plum slices above the crumb layer. Then fold the dough toward the center. You’re all set to bake.

It’s shockingly easy to put together the galette. Forty-five minutes of baking (I use less plums than the recipe amount), a gorgeous and flaky pastry emerges from the oven. I’m impressed. This fall, a fruit galette (think cherry, apricot, fig or apple) can easily become the favorite dessert in my house.

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Plum Galette | Jacques Pépin

By Jacques Pepin – Serves: 6

This tart is a favorite dessert at Jacques Pépin's house. You can make it with any seasonal fruit, such as rhubarb, peaches, cherries, apricots or apples. The dough is buttery, flaky and very forgiving. And it comes together in 10 seconds in a food processor.

Ingredients

• FOR THE PATE BRISEE:
• 1 1/2 cups (204 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 sticks (170 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) ice water
• FOR THE FILLING:
• 1/4 cup (50 g) plus 1/3 cup (67 g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (30 g) ground almonds
• 3 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 pounds large plums—halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, cut into small bits
• 1/2 cup good-quality plum, apricot or raspberry preserves, strained if chunky or seedy

Instructions

1

MAKE THE PATE BRISEE:

2

Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be in pieces. Add the ice water and process for 5 seconds longer, just until the dough comes together; the butter should still be visible.

3

Remove the dough from the processor and gather it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-18-inch oval 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a large, heavy baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.

4

MAKE THE FILLING:

5

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Spread this mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge. Arrange the plum wedges on top and dot with the butter. Sprinkle all but 1 teaspoon of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. (If the dough feels cold and firm, wait for a few minutes until it softens to prevent it from cracking.) Sprinkle the border with the reserved 1 teaspoon of sugar.

6

BAKE:

7

Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour at 400°F, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is richly browned. If any juices have leaked onto the baking sheet, slide a knife under the galette to release it from the sheet. Evenly brush the preserves over the hot fruit; brush some up onto the crust, too, if desired. Let the galette cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/plum-galette