Individual Pear Galettes

Well hello there! It has been a long 7 months since my last submission. I thought it was about time I jump back on the blog bandwagon because I really did it enjoy it. It's a place where I can share what I am doing from day to day in the kitchen and hopefully encourage others to do the same. The recipe that I am posting is a combination adapted from two different sources. I made individual pear galettes using +Food52's recipe and I used my favorite dough recipe (link will be at the bottom for both). I changed a couple things with each recipe but for the most part they are solid recipes. Right now galettes are my favorite thing to make. You can chunk a bunch of fruit or veggies or even meat in your crust and fold it all up....and bam! It's magic; magic that is addictive. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the recipe & my return. Happy baking! 

*Makes: 4 individual galettes

Ingredients 

For crust: 

• 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons ice-cold water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup yellow corn meal
• 1 teaspoon soft brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

For filling:

• 3 medium pears, ripe but still firm
• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup pear jam
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar, to finish

For pear jam: 

• 2 medium pears
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

Directions

Step 1: To make the crust, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt; pulse a few times to mix well. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture appears coarse (like breadcrumbs). Add the yogurt and water to the flour mixture, pulsing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Turn the dough out, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or up to one day. The dough rolls easiest when cold, but not hard. If chilled for a day, let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes or so to soften slightly prior to rolling.

Step 2: To make your pear jam, peel, core, and cut up 2 pears and place in a big enough pot. Add 2 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of caster sugar. Turn the stove on med-high heat. Let it cook for a good 20-30 minutes until the pears are soft. Place them in the food processor to puree them and pour back into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium low and let them cool for another 10 minutes while you create your filling.

Step 3: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (make sure to use butter or cooking spray so the galettes don't stick to the foil). Peel, core, and thinly slice the pears. Toss the slices with the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, spices, and salt.

Step 4: On a lightly floured surface, separate your dough into 4 sections. Roll out one piece of the pie dough into a roughly 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. 

Step 5: Transfer the dough to one of the prepared baking sheets. Spread one tbsp of your pear jam onto each dough center, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Arrange a handful of the pear slices over the top in a decorative pattern. Fold the edges of the dough over the pears and press gently to seal the dough together. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 25 minutes, or until very firm.

Step 6: While the tarts are chilling, preheat the oven to 425F (220C) and whisk the egg in a small dish.When you are ready to bake, brush the edges of each tart with egg wash and sprinkle with soft brown sugar. Bake the tarts, rotating the pans halfway through, until they are deep golden brown and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.  

Thanks for stopping by!

*Adapted recipes from http://cakewalkr.com/rustic-plum-galette/ AND http://food52.com/blog/11733-how-to-make-easy-individual-pear-galettes#WlqQyI:tYu