Summer Galettes

Make this super easy dough and keep it in your freezer. When you find yourself with lots of fruits that you got at the farmer’s market, make little galettes or one big mixed fruit tart and enjoy summer in its true lusciousness.

I think what I really want to write is “10 tips for great Airbnb living”. I think that it has the potential to become a great post. Once I write it. Once I figure out those 10 tips. We are on our 5th BnB right now since we moved to Canada in January this year, and besides the packing and unpacking and the poor quality of beds, we manage rather well I must say.

Right now we have settled ourselves in the first capital of Canada – Kingston, also known as the “Limestone City” due to the many buildings constructed using local limestone. This quaint little city, with its beautiful waterfront with hundreds of boats and thousands of seasonal tourists is our first pit stop on our summer escape from Toronto. They have a lovely farmers’ market at the Springer Market Square which is in the heart of downtown and very hard to miss. The quality of produce is great especially for corn and for seasonal fruits dying to go into summer pies.

I have not made many pies in my life. But the more I make it, the more I love it. The simplicity of most pie-doughs, the versatility the same dough or crust renders itself to with the various fruits or fillings, the melt-in-your mouth buttery tenderness that has a martyr like quality in being so tasty and yet just being a vessel for highlighting the fruit or filling. I see a lot of pie making in my future. What are your favorite pie-making tips? Help a novice sister out!

So I had in my kitchen, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and some rhubarb. I wanted to use all of them in pies but not together because I wanted to taste them individually. Hence the mini variety galettes. The recipe for the pie dough is from Epicurious but I came upon it on one of my all time favorite blogs – apt2bbaking and I trust Yossy Arefi’s judgement when she says a pie crust recipe is good because, have you seen her pies and galettes!! The cream cheese addition really intrigued me. I have recently used lard in making pie crusts. The texture is great but of course, nothing can beat butter when it comes to flavor.

What I learnt

If you don’t have a food processor, simply do it with your hands. It takes a little longer, but it comes together just fine.
Do not overmix it. Work briskly but treat it gently.
The freezer is your friend. If you feel like the mixture is getting too hot, stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Then work on it again.
Pies are weird creatures. They love cold. So make sure the butter and cheese are cold. And make sure to let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour or more.

Ingredients – Makes 16 super small or 8 small or two 8inch
2cups all purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1tbsp sugar
8ounces cream cheese, cold and cut into bits
6ounces unsalted butter or lard, cold and cut into cubes

For 8 small mixed fruit galettes
2cups of fruits of your choice
3tbsp sugar (adjust to taste or tartness of your fruit)
1tbsp flour
juice of half a lemon
grated rind from half a lemon

1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash

Directions

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar. Then add both the fats and bring together with your hands, working with gently but briskly. Do not overmix. If the seems to be too soft, put the mixture in the freezer for a few minutes. Work the mixture till it comes together in a shaggy dough ball. Cut into 4pieces. Wrap each separately in cling wrap, press to form a flat disc and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Overnight is great. I prefer working in small batches as it can be tricky to roll out one big ball of dough. At this stage, you can put the dough discs in the freezer.
Preheat oven to 425F. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the fruit mixture by tossing all the ingredients in a bowl, except ofcourse the egg.
Start with one dough disc. Each piece should yield 2 small galettes. On a lightly floured surface, working from the centre, roll out your dough lifting frequently and flouring more if it is too sticky. If it tears a bit, no worries, just do a bit of patch work. The aim is to roll it out as round as possible and not too thick neither too thin. Once rolled out sufficiently, cut out two rounds. Place them on the baking sheet now as it will be harder to lift them once filled with fruit.
Place fruit filling in the centre of the pie rounds, leaving 2inch border around the edges. Lift one small section of the edge, bring it over the fruit, lift the adjacent section of the edge, bring it over the fruit and fold over the first section like a curtain pleat. Repeat all around. If it is a hot day, put the baking tray in the refrigerator while you make more galettes.
For best results, chill the galettes for 15mins – half an hour before you bake them.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown on all sides

For optimum satisfaction eat them warm with cold vanilla icecream. Refrain from storing baked galettes in the fridge.

Pie Crust recipe adapted from Epicurious