Cherry Galette

The seasons first cherries are out and I am taking full advantage of them!!  I love to make this snack cake, or even these hand pies, but a galette is what is on the menu this week!

If you have never made a galette before (pronounced gah-let) then you are in for a big surprise.  They are quite possibly one of the easiest and most speedy desserts you will ever make.  They look so fancy but really are just a pastry topped with fruit.  The beauty of a galette is that they are designed to be a kind of free-form tart so the more imperfect they are, the more….charming, they appear!  You can’t screw them up and any recipe that is virtually foolproof is absolutely in my rotation!

So yes, I love galettes because they are quick, easy, and they make you look like a rockstar in the kitchen.  But I also love that they are the perfect size.  They aren’t so huge that they take days to eat, like a pie or big batch of bars would so you can make it as a special treat for your family, eat it and be done.  No lingering dessert around the house.  And you can easily cut the pieces smaller and add a scoop of ice cream when you have company over.  If you cut the pieces bigger AND add ice cream?  Well, then you are more on my level and I am totally giving you a virtual high five right now.

In the future I will share a ridiculously easy recipe for a homemade crust, but for today, I just want to make sure you get the method down so you can start making them!  This will take a bit. *deep breath* Are you ready?  OK.  Here goes: Unroll a pie crust, top it with fruit, fold in the edges, and bake it.  Huh.  I guess that didn’t take long at all!  🙂  So simple!  And the lovely thing is that you can use a huge variety of fruits depending on what is in season.

Enough talk!  On to the eats!
One Year Ago: Flank Steak W/Tangy Sauce & Far Eastern Salad 
Two Years Ago: Mocha Chocolate Chip Scones, How To: Freeze Berries, Cheeze-It Chicken, Strawberry Sauce

Cherry Galette
I don’t like to add a lot of sugar to my galettes; preferring to let the taste of the fruit be the star.  Eat a cherry or two.  It they are a little on the sour side, you can adjust the sugar as needed.  This exact recipe with 3 c of mixed berries is absolutely stellar.

1 refrigerated pie-crust, homemade is fine

3 c fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1 heaping T sugar
1 T cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and unroll the pie crust and press flat.  In a bowl, toss the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla together until there are no dry spots left.  Pour the fruit into a pile in the middle of the pie crust, spreading it gently out in a circle, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border.  Carefully fold one small edge of pastry over the fruit.  Fold over the next portion, and continue along the edge, until the whole galette is bordered.  Brush the egg wash over the pastry, and sprinkle with extra sugar if desired.  Slide the whole sheet pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, checking after 30, until the center of the cherries is bubbling gently and the pastry is nicely browned.  Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.