I make Jacques Pepin’s galette recipe about every week, and often double it to keep one extra wheel of dough ‘at the ready.’
INGREDIENTS:
Pate Brisee
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup ice water
Filling
- 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground almonds
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 pounds large plums—halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits
- 1/2 cup good-quality plum, apricot or raspberry preserves, strained if chunky or seed
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Make the pate brisee
Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be in pieces. Add the ice water and process for 5 seconds longer, just until the dough comes together; the butter should still be visible.
Step 2: Roll out the pate brisee
Remove the dough from the processor and gather it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 16-by-18-inch oval 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a large, heavy baking sheet. Chill the dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.
Step 3: Make the filling
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Spread this mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge. Arrange the plum wedges on top and dot with the butter. Sprinkle all but 1 teaspoon of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. (If the dough feels cold and firm, wait for a few minutes until it softens to prevent it from cracking.) Sprinkle the border with the reserved 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is richly browned. If any juices have leaked onto the baking sheet, slide a knife under the galette to release it from the sheet. Evenly brush the preserves over the hot fruit; brush some up onto the crust, too, if desired. Let the galette cool to room temperature before serving.
