Food Eyeswoon Kitchen:

Rustic Pear Galette

Photography by Sarah Elliott

When I first began baking, a classic French pear tart was my go-to impress-your-guests dessert to serve at dinner parties. Since then, whenever I am stumped over something sweet to swoon company (as well as my own sugar-seeking palate), pear seems to be the fruit I turn to again and again – particularly during these cold months. Not only does the flavor scream “winter” to me, the muted palette beautifully reflects what we see outside. Seasonal ingredients are part of nature and embody its tones – I love this concept through and through!

I have featured the tried-and-true original and even shared my chocolate pear crostata with Food & Wine Magazine last winter, but today’s version is a rustic riff on my swoony staple. Frangipane is the predominate taste of this galette, and together with pears nestled inside buttery pastry dough, she’s a showstopper while remaining understated. I mean, you don’t even need to peel the pears. My kind of dessert and style!

Pear Galette

Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients

For the frangipane:

  • 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 firm but ripe pears (we used Bosc)
  • 1 batch basic pie dough
  • 1 egg beaten with 2 tsp. water
  • 1 Tbs. raw vanilla sugar

The Prep

  1. Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 425°F.
  2. For the frangipane, combine the almonds, sugar and salt and process in a food processor until the almonds are finely ground. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, the eggs, and melted butter and process until the mixture comes together.
  3. Cut the pears in half and remove the cores with a melon baller. Lay pears cut down and slice thinly vertically, stopping 1/2 inch from the stem so the pear slices stay attached at the stem end.
  4. On a sheet of parchment paper, roll out the pie dough into a round 13 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Evenly spread the frangipane over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border untouched. Fan the pears in a decorative pattern on top of the frangipane, cutting the pear halves in half if necessary to make them fit.
  5. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the filling, forming pleats around the edge. Using the sheet of parchment paper, transfer the galette and parchment to a rimmed baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the galette with the egg wash. Sprinkle with raw vanilla sugar.
  6. Bake the galette until the pears are tender when pierced with a knife and the crust is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serves 6 to 8.
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