This apricot blackberry galette is basically a fancy name for a very unfancy dessert. The galette is a freeform rustic-style pie or tart made from a dough called pate brisee. Pate brisee is very similar to a pie dough although the end result is a bit more crispy rather than flakey.
This dessert is a fantastic and easy way to use up delicious summer fruits. I used apricots and blackberries in mine but any stone fruit and berry will work.
The pate brisee dough is given a bit of texture with the addition of cornmeal. Because the basic pate brisee recipe is similar to my favorite pie dough recipe I incorporated some of the ingredients and techniques into the pate brisee: I substituted 1/4 cup cold vanilla vodka and 1/4 cup ice water for the 1/2 cup of ice water called for in the recipe. The vodka performs like water, but it doesn’t allow for extra glutten formation with the flour like water does, which can make a crust tough.
I also used 1 tablespoon of sugar instead of the 1 teaspoon of sugar called for in the recipe. I like the extra sweetness and touch of crispness that the extra sugar provides.
I should have rolled my dough out into a larger circle but I was afraid it was going to fall apart! Next time I will definitely roll the dough out to a full 14 inch round to better cover the edges of the fruit.
Here is how you can make your own.
You can find the basic recipe here. Line a large baking pan or half-sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cornmeal Pate Brisee: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and sugar (I used 1 tablespoon of sugar).
In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour mixture with the cubed cold butter. Pulse several times to combine then process until the mixture resembles course meal.
At this point I dump the flour mixture back into the large bowl and sprinkle with the cold vodka/water mixture (I used 1/4 cup vanilla vodka and 1/4 cup ice water) and fold into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until a dough starts to develop.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1 hour. You will only use one portion of the dough for this galette. The remaining dough can be frozen and used later.
When the dough has finished chilling, roll out into a 14″ circle and transfer to the parchment lined pan. Place in fridge to chill while you are making the filling. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Apricot Blackberry Filling: I used 12 fresh apricots cut into thirds and 2 cups fresh blackberries. You can used any combination of fresh stone fruit and berries that you like, just try to keep the proportions similar.
Toss the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, salt and I added 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice. You can alter the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
Once all the fruit is well combined with the sugar mixture, remove the baking sheet with pie crust from the fridge. Carefully mound the fruit mixture in the center of the dough leaving a 2 inch border all around.
Fold the border up and over the fruit mixture, pleating and overlapping, pressing gently to adhere the folds. Brush the dough with a lightly beaten egg and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar (I used washed raw sugar).
Bake the galette for approximately 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Some of the juices will leak out of the crust but that’s okay – it just adds to its rustic charm!
Let the galette cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
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