Cooking Therapy

Galettes are French tarts best described as a combination of a pie and a pizza. It is a very versatile baking treat in that it can be savory or sweet, and can be eaten at any time of the day as a meal, snack, or even dessert. The crust is flaky and crispy, while the filling is sweet and juicy. For the pears, I poached them in a Greek sweet wine with mulling spices for an intense flavor, but any wine will do. And the best part is that you can use the remaining mulled wine to make a wine syrup to top the galette. The almond frangipane acts as a placeholder for the filling and its juices, while intensifying the flavor of the crust. Top with your favorite ice cream or eat it as is, this is guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds. Try yours today!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Wait time: 20 Minutes

Bake Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the galette

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup of sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick of unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

1 bottle of dry red wine (I used mavrodaphne, a Greek, sweet wine)

5 large pears, cored, cleaned, and halved

½ cup of cranberries, washed

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

5 cloves

Cold water

For the frangipane

1 cup of almond flour

2 oz of almond paste

1 large egg at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon regular flour

3 tbsp of unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

To poach the pears:

• In a medium saucepan, add the wine, ¾ cups of sugar, 1 cup of water, the cinnamon, anise, and cloves
• Bring to a boil over a medium heat. Once boiling, reduce to a low medium heat simmer and add the pears
• Cook for about 15 minutes or until pears have begun to soften. Let cool to room temperature in pan, then remove and set aside. Prepare galette while pears are cooling
• With the leftover wine, add another half cup of sugar and cook on a medium heat until it reduces to a syrup. You can use this as the dessert topping

To make the frangipane:

• Before working on the frangipane, begin work on the galette pastry. See below
• Add all the ingredients together into the food processor and process until it forms a fluffy paste

To make the galette:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt, and butter, and pulse for 5 seconds to blend it
• Slowly add the water, little by little, and pulse until the pastry starts to come together. When you touch it, you should be able to press and mold it
• Transfer it to your work surface and roll it into a ball and flatten it into a disc. Plastic wrap it and refrigerate it until it is chilled. While the dough is chilling, prepare the frangipane
• Once chilled, sprinkle some flour on your work surface and roll out the dough to a 14 inch oval
• Spread and smooth out the frangipane across the surface of the dough, leaving a little more than an inch for the crust

• Top with the fruit in a design you see fit. I sliced the pears and made crisscross lines with them and the cranberries
• Fold the crust part of the dough up and over sort of forming a tucked wall. Using a brush, spread some egg wash across the outside and sprinkle some raw sugar across the edges. Add in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about an hour or until the pastry has browned and crisp

• Let cool before serving. Eat as is or top with some ice cream or whipped cream and the wine syrup
• Enjoy!