Every bit as delicious as a pie, but with half the effort, a Galette is a rustic-looking tart that doesn’t require much time to assemble nor does it require a pie dish. It’s laid-back, forgiving and endlessly riffable, utilizing the fruits of your liking… Convinced yet?

First, what is a Galette?

A Galette – or a “Tarte Rustique” as it’s called in France – is a very popular dessert, especially during Summer months, to make do with the abundance of fresh fruits. This uncomplicated fruit tart features a flaky all-butter crust, folded in a free form manner over fresh seasonal fruits. A pie dish or proper pan isn’t required, as the galette is to be baked flat on a simple piece of parchment paper and a baking sheet.

This article covers instructions for making a proper pastry dough, a delicious fruit filling (with the fruits of your liking) and for assembling the galette. This, along with a few tips is all you’ll need to make a great Galette.

Peach Blueberry Galette

The ideal crust for a Galette: a “Pâte Brisée”.

For making a galette, the best candidate is hands down a Pâte Brisée: the French version of a short crust pastry. This classic French crust is made with only flour, butter and water – no sugar and no eggs. It is thus very versatile and can be used for both sweet and savory pies, quiches, tarts, or Galettes. 

With flour and butter mixed together with water (water encouraging the gluten development in the flour), a “Pâte Brisée is sturdy enough to hold any juicy fruit fillings, yet still very flaky thanks to the generous amount of butter added.  This also makes for a dough that is easy to work with and very forgiving – which is what you want to shape a galette with little stress.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

3 Tips for making the Pâte Brisée (shortcrust pastry):

• Use ice cold water and ice cold butter. It is crucial to use ice cold water and ice cold butter to make the dough. Cold butter – not room temperature – will distribute into the flour without softening. And ice-cold water will bind the ingredients together without melting the butter. This ensures little bits of butter are still present in the dough once rolled out, which makes for a most tender, flaky Pâte Brisée. 

• • • To make ice-cold water, fill a small bowl with ice cubes and cover with water. Let sit for 2 minutes and the water will be ice-cold. Discard of remaining ice cubes if any.
    • To make ice-cold butter, cut it into small cubes and place on a plate. Pop the plate in the freezer for 20-25 minutes for the butter to be ice-cold.

• Prefer handmade. Although a Pâte Brisée can be easily mixed in a food processor, I prefer making it by hand to get a better feel of the dough’s texture. It is important not to overmix the dough or your crust will end up too tough once baked. Once the flour and butter are blended, slowly add just enough water so the dough holds together when pressed in your palm.
• Chill the dough. The Pâte Brisée needs to chill for at least 20-30 minutes before being rolled out. If the dough is too cold and firm when trying to roll it out, let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes so it warms just slightly.

Yellow Plum Galette

3 Tips for making the fruit filling:

A Galette invites all kind of fruit fillings – be it berries, stone fruits, pome fruits or a combination of each. Summer favorites include strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums and/or apricots (as pictured here). In the late summer and fall, apple and pear are staples. You can also add your own flavor twists to the fruit filling with citrus zest (ie. orange zest with berries), fresh herbs (ie. basil with strawberries, verbena with stone fruits) and/or ground spices (ie. cinnamon with apples).

• Rinse and dry well. Make sure you rinse the fruits under cold water and delicately pat them dry, yet thoroughly, before you start.
• Can you use frozen fruits? Although fresh, seasonal fruit is always best, yes you can use frozen fruits. Just make sure they are well thawed, drained and patted dry before you mix them with the cornstarch and sugar. 
• Dice/Slice the fruits thin and evenly in size. The key is always to dice up or slice up the fruits thin and evenly in size. This mostly ensures they will bake evenly. For assembling, you can then simply toss the fruit filling in the center of the dough or neatly arrange the fruit slices to create pretty patterns.
• Don’t fret on the sugar and cornstarch. Although it could be tempting to reduce the amount of sugar, you will get a runny filling if you do so. Both the sugar and starch absorb moisture and create a deliciously jammy filling.

Apple Cinnamon Galette

3 Tips for Assembling:

• Prevent a soggy crust.  To prevent the fruit’s juices from making the crust soggy, sprinkle some ground almond, oats or crushed cookies at the bottom of the rolled-out crust before adding the fruits.
• Leave a border all around. When placing the filling in the middle of the crust, make sure you leave a 2-inch border all around. This way you will be able to easily fold the edges over the filling later. Likewise, don’t pile the fruits but scatter them in one single, even layer, so they bake evenly too. 
•  Don’t fret cracks. If the edges of the dough crack a bit when you fold them over the fruit, simply wet your fingers under lukewarm water and “rub” the cracks to bind the dough back together. 

How to make an Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette

Here is how to make an Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette, with step-by-step photos. See the recipe card at the end of this article for the ingredient list, exact quantities and cooking time.

The photos depict the making of an apricot galette, but you can use any of the following fruits: berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, stoned cherries, blueberries), stone fruits (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums) or pome fruits (apples, pears). When using firm fruits (apples, pears), just make sure you slice them thinly so they turn tender when baking.

First, we prepare the Pâte Brisée. Note that the dough will need to chill for 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. We start by placing the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

We then cut the butter into cubes, and place the cubes on a plate. Pop the plate in the freezer for 20-25 minutes for the butter to be firm and ice-cold. 

Add the butter cubes to the flour, and mix with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Do not try to process the butter completely. Keeping pea-size bits of butter in the dough is what will make the crust very flaky.

Then, we start adding ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time. See the notes above for preparing ice-cold water. Mix until the dough just comes together into a rough ball (about 1/4 cup of water). Do not over-mix or your crust will end up tough.

A good way to test the consistency of the dough is to press a small amount in your hand. When releasing, the dough should hold together.  

Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly – but try to keep the water to a minimum. Press the dough all together so it comes into a rough ball. 

Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC) with a rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. While the dough still rests, place the sliced or diced fruit in a large bowl. Toss with sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cornstarch until evenly coated.

30 minutes later, take the dough out of the fridge. Transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a circle of 16-inches (40cm) in diameter (about 1/6 inch thick). Drape the dough over your rolling pin and transfer it to the parchment lined baking sheet. 

Spread the ground almond, oats or crushed cookies onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5cm) border around the edge. Arrange the fruit filling on top.

Fold the edges of the dough up over the fruits to create a 1 ½ to 2-inch border, pleating the dough around as you go. Brush the egg yolk onto the folded border. Bake for 50 min to 1 hour, until the edges of the crust look dry and golden, and the fruit filling looks soft.

How to store a Galette? 

After enjoying a Galette, if you have any leftover slices, you can store them in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

• In the refrigerator: store any leftover slices in an airtight container or well-wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days – not more. Enjoy the slices cold or reheated for 4-5 minutes in a pan over medium heat. Avoid reheating the slices in the microwave or the crust will likely get soggy. 
• In the freezer: store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the slices thaw in the fridge before re-heating them through in a pan over medium heat. 

I hope you’ll love this How To Make An Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette article! A Galette can be enjoyed either warm or cold. If you have any question, feel free to leave a comment. 

Similar recipes you make like: 

• Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
• Peach Blueberry Galette
• Apple Cinnamon Galette
• Alsatian Blueberry Tart
• Peach Crème Fraiche Streusel Tart 

Any-Kind-Of-Fruit Galette

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 50 Minutes 50 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

For the Pâte Brisée:
1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (170g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ cup to 1/3 cup (50ml to 78ml) ice water

Filling base:
4 tbsp (24g) ground almonds
(or quick oats, or crushed cookies – ie. graham crackers)

Filling:
4 cups berries, stone fruits or pome fruits (chopped or thinly sliced)
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp (15g) cornstarch (or tapioca starch)
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

To finish:
1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk, for brushing

 

Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare the Pâte Brisée. Mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough just comes together into a rough ball (about 1/4 cup of water). Do not over-mix or your crust will end up tough. Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly - but try to keep the water to a minimum. Too much water will also make your crust tough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC) with a rack in the middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2 - Prepare the filling. Place the sliced or diced fruit in a large bowl. Toss with sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cornstarch until evenly coated.

30 minutes later, take the dough out of the fridge.

Step 3 - Assemble the galette. Transfer it onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to circle of 16-inches (40cm) in diameter (about 1/6 inch thick). Drape the dough over your rolling pin and transfer it to the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the ground almond (or oats) onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5cm) border around the edge. Arrange the fruit filling on top. Fold the edges of the dough up over the fruits to create a 1 ½ to 2-inch border, pleating the dough around as you go.

Step 6 - Brush the egg yolk onto the folded border.

Bake for 50 min to 1 hour, until the edges of the crust look dry and golden, and the fruit filling looks soft.