Fall galette time!

Whoops, I’m almost a week behind on this post – this week got away from me.

Oh well, such is life. And 2020 apparently, I’ve just given up on anything being remotely even kind of normal this year. Except for baking! That’s still normal. I try to bake about once a week since it keeps me on some kind of ‘creative’ schedule, where I work within the parameters of the food I have on hand + my weekend schedule to make something. It always feels like a fun challenge to make something slightly new, even if it’s just a riff on an old recipe I’ve made ten thousand times.

Clearly I’m all about galettes this year. I love how infinitely adaptable they are – gluten free or grain free crust is so easy; they’ll take just about any fruit (or veggie!) you have on hand or that’s in season, and they are straight up DELICIOUS.

Also, pomegranate makes everything better.

This is me using up two weeks’ worth of pears from my imperfect produce shipment (LOVE the concept of this by the way – helps use cosmetically damaged or surplus foods – such a great idea) and loving every minute of it. I think we ate this in nearly two sittings – stretched it to three but it was a close call. Whatever, we did a walk and a hike that day so it was deserved :)

Breakfast, as always of course. I LOVE “desserts” that do double duty.

Let’s see, what else. Saw some skywriting during our afternoon hike! That was fun, I haven’t seen any of that in ages.

I hope everybody has a smooth rest of the week and a great weekend! We’ll see if I can get back on my normal posting schedule this weekend… it finally cooled off here so we’re back to roasting/baking business as usual since it’s not too hot to live in my apartment anymore, hooray! Yay for fall weather. Happy baking!

Pear Galette with a Rosemary Cornmeal Crust

Refined sugar free and whole grain. A Wait are those Cookies original! If you need or want a gluten and grain free crust, I suggest this one! It comes together also very easily in a food processor. Yield: 1 galette; serves several or 2 over a couple sittings.

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt and rosemary. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable (see below for tips) – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be.

For the fruit:

pears, sliced (I used roughly 5 small ones – I think they may have been red bartlett)
2 tbsp apricot jam (preferably homemade by a friend ;)

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)