Thursday, July 25, 2013

Rustic Summer Mixed-Fruit Tart (Galette)



I make this a couple of times each summer with bruised five-dollars-a-bushel fruit from the farmstand.  Sometimes peaches, sometimes plums, sometimes pluots, sometimes all three.  I've added frozen blueberries to the mix, too, with delectable results.


  



Galettes are simple desserts made with free-form pie crust and your choice of fruit filling.  You can take the basic idea and go with it as far as you'd like!

This version below is from Martha, but feel free to use your favorite pie crust recipe if you've got one, as long as it's heavy on the butter.

  • 1 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
  • 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Filling

  • 1 1/2 pounds red plums, quartered, pitted, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (OR 1 and 1/2 pounds of ANY FRUIT)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash)



Directions

  1. Step 1

    Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt several times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not overmix.
  2. Step 2

    Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead once or twice. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  3. Step 3

    Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Flour a large (about 16 inches long) piece of parchment paper. Place dough on paper. Using your knuckles, press edges of dough so it doesn't crack during rolling. Lightly flour top of dough to prevent sticking; roll out to a 14-inch round. Transfer dough (still on parchment) to prepared baking sheet.
  4. Step 4

    Make the filling and bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour. Mound plum mixture in center of prepared crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold border over fruit in a pleated pattern. Brush dough with egg wash.
  5. Step 5

    Bake tart until crust is brown and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

    Note: Filling often bubbles out through small openings in the edge of the crust during baking, so don't worry if a little juice ends up on the baking sheet; line it with foil for easy cleanup.

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