Easy French Pear Galette

This French Pear Galette is everything you would like from a delicious, quick and easy dessert! It has a buttery, flaky, crunchy crust that encloses the delicately sweet, cinnamon flavoured pear filling. 

JUMP TO RECIPE

Fancy as it sounds, this Pear Galette is actually a dessert that requires a minimum amount of effort. All you need to do is roll out the dough, place the filling on top, roughly fold the pastry around the borders and bake!

Make it sweet, using fruit such as blueberries, apples, pears, rhubarb, or why not try the savoury options: wild mushrooms and blue cheese, spinach and ricotta, or butternut squash and cheese. Use your imagination and get creative!

WHAT IS A GALETTE?

A galette is a round pastry base, topped with either a sweet or savoury filling, and the edges roughly folded to create a rustic, effortless look. It’s as easy as it sounds! You just need to roll out the dough, place it on a baking sheet, add the filling of your choice on top, roughly fold the edges and then bake until the crust is golden and the filling soft, and inviting. 

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PASTRY

Making pastry at home can sound intimidating, but all you need is just the courage to roll out your sleeves and start! This is an easy peasy recipe that doesn’t require a lot of technique, and you can also speed things up by using a food processor. 

Before you get started, here are a few things to keep in mind to obtain a perfect Pear Galette:

1.  Use cold butter – Incorporating cold butter into the crust will create that flaky, crunchy texture and the crust will hold its shape better as it bakes in the oven. 
2.  Don’t overwork the pastry – Once you combine all the ingredients (I will provide the step-by-step instructions in the recipe card), transfer the mixture into your working surface and using your hands, combine gently only until forming a ball. If you start kneading the dough, the butter will begin to melt due to the warmth of your hands, and as a result, the end consistency will be affected.
3.  Bring your pastry to room temperature before rolling – I know it sounds a bit crazy, right? You need to chill the dough in the refrigerator and then you need to warm it up! Well, yes! That’s because the pastry becomes easily manageable if it’s at room temperature therefore it will be less likely to break at the edges.

How to assemble the galette: 

 Try not to overfill your pastry – Leave around 5 cm from the borders in order to fold the pastry around the filling. If it’s easier, you can use a round plate. Place it on top, press down gently, then remove it and add the filling inside of the circle. Try not to overfill your pastry, as it might not bake properly, or it could even brake therefore causing the juices of the fruit to ooze while still in the oven.

To obtain a golden pastry crust– Before you put it in the oven, brush it with a beaten egg yolk mixed with a tablespoon of milk. Plus, you could sprinkle a little bit of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top! The result will be so rewarding.

Easy French Pear Galette

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 260 g all-purpose flour
• 170 g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon of vodka
• 60 ml ice-cold water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 30 g almond flour
• 3 pears, sliced
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for sprinkling on top of the pears and the dough crust
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon of milk, mixed, to brush the galette edges before baking
• 4 -5 small cubes unsalted butter to position in between the pear slices before baking

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a medium-sized food processor add flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and butter. Pulse on and off until the mixture resembles the consistency of wet sand.
2. Using a medium speed, pour in a tablespoon of vodka and gradually add the water. Combine until a dough starts forming on the sides of the food processor.
3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, shape it into a round disc, cover in cling film and refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow 10 minutes at room temperature. Place on top of a lightly floured baking parchment paper, and start rolling and shaping it into a round disc of about 30 - 35 cm in diameter. Use the edges of the baking paper to lift and gently transfer the rolled dough into the baking tray.
6. Sprinkle in the middle of the galette the almond flour. Leave about 5 cm free from the borders.
7. Position the pear slices in the centre and distribute them evenly over the almond flour. Then add the small butter cubes between the pear slices. You don't have to be precise!
8. Gently fold the edges using your hands.
9. Brush the edges with egg wash, then sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mix all over.
10. Bake for about 1 hr or until the edges are golden brown and the pears soft and tender.
11. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Making the galette pastry by hand

If you don't have a food processor available, you can make the galette pastry dough by hand.

1. Start by adding to a medium-sized bowl the flour, a pinch of salt, cold butter cubes and sugar.
2. Mix all ingredients using your hands, incorporating the butter into the flour until it resembles wet sand.
3. Add the vodka and the water gradually and incorporate it into the other ingredients until you obtain a dough ball.
4. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate then continue as per the above recipe to assemble the galette.

You might also want to try this rustic strawberry galette!