Who doesn’t love an autumnal Sunday? I’ve spent mine pottering in the kitchen, cooking up a feast for some of my favourite people, which was topped off with this gorgeous pear galette. I generally steer away from pastry (too much of a faff, and I lack the patience!), especially if I’m also juggling lots of different components for the first course – which I was today, with a roast chicken and all the trimmings to think about – but this was so simple it almost felt like cheating. No blind baking, no messing around with a fancy fluted tin – just a method so easy, even a pastry novice like me could nail it!
I served this up straight from the oven, with a scoop of ice cream; it was perhaps even more delicious half an hour later when the pastry had crisped up a little. You’re aiming for a rustic look here so don’t worry at all about achieving symmetry or neatness. I can’t wait to try this again, maybe with apples instead of pears; or how about peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums… I also think it would be pretty epic with a savoury filling and substituting the rye pastry I featured here.
Recipe adapted from Delicious. Magazine
Recipe: Pear and cinnamon galette
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- 225g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 140g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 egg
- For the filling:
- 4 pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
- Icing sugar to dust
Directions
- To make the pastry, put the 225g flour, caster sugar, salt and butter into a mixing bowl.
- Use your fingertips to rub the mixture together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Mix in 1 egg with a spoon, then bring the pastry together with your hands.
- Wrap the pastry in cling film, then chill in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 4 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Put the prepared pears into a bowl and toss with the brown sugar, cinnamon and 1 tbsp flour.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and discard the cling film, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to form a rough circle (about 5mm thick, 35cm diameter).
- Carefully lift the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet, then arrange the pears in the middle, leaving an 8-9cm border.
- Fold the sides up and over the pears. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then bake for 40 minutes or until golden.
- Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar, with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
the secret spatula 