I tried out another pastry dough recipe and made a Plum Galette that turned out phenomenally. Each time I bake I learn something new so read on to find out what I’ll do differently next time I make this rustic treat!

The recipe I used came from Simply Recipes  – head on over there for the original details. A galette (pronounced \ gə-ˈlet \) is a French word describing a round free form tart or cake made of pastry dough. It is not cooked in a pan so holds no shape other and instead takes on a natural, simple appearance. It can be filled with fruit, vegetables, or even cheese! 

To start you will need: 

• Crust

  • Pastry dough – any kind will do – you just need enough to make a 13 inch roll. You can even use store bought dough (I did!)
  • 1 egg beaten for egg wash
  • Sugar for sprinkling

• Filling

  • Sliced plums – I used 8 small plums, make sure they are tart and not overly ripe.
  • 1/3 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Make the dough per the directions for your recipe and place it in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

To start the filling, slice and cut your plums. You can leave the skin off or on. For my first time I chose to take the skin off, but next time I will leave it on for extra color and texture. Mix the sliced fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, orange zest, and flour. Don’t skip on the orange zest or substitute it for lemon zest. The orange flavor combines nicely with the plum and gives it a floral flavor.

After the filling is mixed – take your dough and roll everything out into a thin 13 inch round. This time I had my own rolling pin (and not a wine bottle like I had to use for my last pastry project) — it was much easier.

After its rolled, move your pastry to a well buttered baking sheet before you arrange the fruit in it. I did not do this and learned that I should of. I had a neat and tidy arrangement that got messy after I transferred my galette from the counter to the baking sheet. It was hard and involved using  my hands and chin to make sure I didn’t break the dough ! Lessons learned! Make sure you leave around 2 inches of dough around the edges so you can fold over the sides.

Once your fruit slices are arranged fold up the sides – there’s no special technique to do this, all you have to do is fold for the rustic look.

To finish everything off apply the egg wash on top and sprinkle with some sugar. I didn’t have heavy cream on hand for the wash so I substituted a little bit of melted butter and that worked fine. After just 40 minutes in the oven you have a delicious professional looking dessert!

Overall this turned out deliciously and it looks a lot more advanced than it is. I think it’d be gorgeous with really red plums – so that’s what I’ll use for next time!