Our No-fuss
Novice bakers, meet the fancier, yet messy, sister of blueberry pie. The French call her galette. To Italians, she’s crostata.
A galette is a simple, rustic version of an open-faced pie. Unlike its sister, a galette is a free-form pie that embraces flaws. The messier the pie (read: more mistakes you make), the more gorgeous it looks. It doesn’t matter if the fruit juices leak, the folds aren’t uniform or the pastry tears.
With a galette, you’ve already won the baking session as long as your ingredients are galette-appropriate. By that, we mean any leftover cooked veggies, cheese, ripe fruit, basically anything you don’t want to toss will be delicious inside a buttery pastry.
We love a no-pressure, no-waste, impressive pastry with a fancy name. Most importantly, we love to share. So, here’s our blueberry galette inspired by Bon Appetit and The New York Times recipes — the perfect Labor Day treat.
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (4,73 dl) all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
6 tbsp cold butter or margarine, cut into chunks
6 tbsp cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into chunks
Filling
½ lemon, juice and grated zest
3 cups (7 dl) blueberries, rinsed and drained, or frozen blueberries
½ to 3⁄4 cup (1 to 1,8 dl) sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
In a bowl, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add butter and shortening. With a pastry blender or your fingers, work the mixture until a few pea-size pieces form.
Pour 4 tablespoons cold water over mixture and stir with a fork just until evenly moistened. Gently squeeze about 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. If it won't hold together, add 1 tablespoon of water and stir with a fork until evenly moistened. If the formed ball doesn't hold add 1 tablespoon of water again. Repeat until the dough is firm enough.
Gently pat the dough into a 6-inch-diameter disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
Instructions for filling
Toss blueberries, salt, lemon juice and zest, cornstarch and all but a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Mound filling in the center of the dough, leaving a 2" border.
Pile fruit on the dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry generously with egg or cream and sprinkle remaining sugar on the crust.
Bake the galette until the crust is dark golden brown and filling is bubbling, 45–50 minutes. Let it cool before serving.
For a cozy evening
