Galette’s are better than pies. Period. If you don’t agree we can’t be friends. I mean, obviously, I am biased – but galettes are (1) a lot easier to make than pies and (2) rustic looking which I love. They are essentially “rustic” or “unfinished” pies. They can be
savory or sweet, but I have a sweet tooth so most of the ones I have made have been sweet. Also, let me clarify that while, yes, they are easier than pies, it still took me 3-4 times to get it right.
And then there are berries… I mean it really it doesn’t get any better. I guess you could other types of fruit? But, I mean come on… ANYWAYS, below are some tips and the recipe for a mixed berry rustic pie.
Ingredients for dough (adapted from The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum):
- 1 1/3 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 3 oz cream cheese, cold, cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 tbsp heavy cream (add more if needed, but add it little by little)
- 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
Ingredients for filling:
- 2 cups of mixed berries
- 4 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp of cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice
Ingredients for wash (instead of an egg wash we’ll use a water wash):
- 1 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp of water
Important things to keep in mind!
- It may seem like you don’t have enough filling, but believe me you do. Because the galettes are not baked in a pie mold, you’ll have to move it around with your hands, so it can get tricky to move to a baking pan or leak while baking.
- If you are using frozen make sure you defrost them and they are as dry as you can get them to be; otherwise your pie will leak.
- When making the pie dough, try to work fast so that the butter doesn’t melt in the process!
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Start with the pie dough.
- Cut the butter into 1/2 pinch squares and put in a ziploc bag and chill for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and the baking powder. Then add in the cream cheese and using your hands mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add in the butter to the flour and cream cheese mixture and using a cutting pastry blender incorporate the butter until the dough starts developing pea-sized chunks.
- Add in the heavy cream and the vinegar and using your hands, mix until it starts holding together into a cohesive dough. Add more heavy cream if needed.
- Knead and press into a flat disk. Cover it in plastic wrap and chill it for at least an hour (you can also leave it overnight).
- While the dough is chilling, make the fruit filling.
- Mix the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Cover tightly and let sit until the dough is ready. Keep it in the fridge until it’s ready to be used.
- On a well floured surface, roll the dough into a circle.
- In the center of the dough, add in the berry mixture, leaving a 2-3 inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping the dough and press gently to seal the edges. Mix 2 tbsp of water with 1 tbsp of sugar and brush the edges with the sugary water mixture.
- Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown (~ 30 minutes). Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!
