Galette’s are my new favorite desserts.
Honestly, I don’t make many desserts. I think I’ve made one total on this blog. Ok, I lied… two. Wait, shit. Three.
And while I do love the occasional dessert, I prefer savory over sweet. And also I suck at making desserts. I’ve found that baking requires patience, a certain careful delicateness, scientific-like accuracy, and I have none of that. I’m like a maelstrom of whim and inspiration, preferring to cook with passion over precision, and my plating looks like shit because of it.
That’s why I fell in love with galettes.
They are basically pies for people who can’t make a pie. Or at least, pies for people who aren’t artistically inclined enough to make a fancy, decorated pie. The result is more or less the same, just a more rustic look to a fruit-filled dessert. And my first go at it wasn’t the prettiest, but even I think I can manage a perfect galette someday. Here is what a good one looks like.
The galette I made incorporates my love of tart cherries, along with almond and vanilla to add a little crunch and extra flavor.
I was lazy and just used store bought pie crust, but for those feeling ambitious, for even more almond flavor you could even make the pie dough from almonds for a unique and gluten-free experience. Here is a recipe for just that.
Time You Need
- ~20 minutes prep
- ~ 40 minutes cooking
- Yields: 1 whopping galette
What You Need
- 2 pounds of thawed (or fresh if you can find them) tart cherries
- ~2 tbsp room-temp cream cheese
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp lime juice
- 5 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg, beaten
- 6 oz slivered or crushed almonds
- 2 store bought pie crusts
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- *Optional: Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
What You Do
- Preheat oven to 400.
- In a bowl, place the thawed cherries. Toss with cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Then drizzle with lime juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and honey. You want the cherries to be fully thawed, or it will freeze up and thicken the honey. Trust me. I made that mistake so you don’t have to.
- For a thicker crust and to prevent leakage, take the two store-bought pie crusts and place them one on top of the other. Then seal the edges together to form one thicker pie crust. On a clean surface, roll out the pie crust into a rough, rustic circle.
- Take the dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread a layer of cream cheese over the whole surface.
- In a food processor, pulse almonds until they are in a roughly blended crumble. Spread crushed almonds over the layer of cream cheese. Then drizzle a layer of honey over the top of the almonds/cream cheese spread.
- Place the cherries in the center of the dough, leaving about 2 inches of a border around the cherries. Take the ends of the dough and fold over the top of the cherries, leaving an opening in the center.
- Brush the crust with a beaten egg and then bake until the crust is a golden brown. About 35-40 minutes. Totally optional, but you can add another tbsp of cream cheese in the center to melt out and spread over the cherries.
- Remove and let cool. Serve and enjoy!