There’s no better way to show off plump blueberries and sweet blackberries than tucked in a galette laced with a touch of almond cream. With no fussy crimping or pie plate involved, galettes come together easily. It’s as simple as scattering sugar-dusted berries onto a rectangle of pastry, then folding the edges to encase the fruit. Once baked, the galette is topped with fresh berries. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a berry galette sums up the best of summer.
Serves 6 to 9
■ Almond Cream
■ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
■ 2 Tbsp icing (powdered) sugar
■ 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp ground almonds
■ 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
■ 1 Tbsp rum, cognac, or Grand Marnier, optional
■ 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
■ 3 Tbsp cornstarch
■ 3 cups fresh blueberries, divided
■ 3 cups fresh blackberries, divided
■ 1 Tbsp whipping cream (35%) or lightly beaten egg
■ 1 Tbsp coarse or granulated sugar, for the pastry’s edges
■ 2 tsp unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
Prepare the flaky pastry dough according to the instructions. (You won’t need all the pastry for this recipe.)
Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment dusted with flour. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and roll the dough over the plastic wrap, into a rectangle approximate-ly 10-by-15 inches and 1/8” thick. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining dough for another use.
To prevent the pastry from bunching at the corners, cut a wedge from each corner. This will prevent excess pastry when folding (think gift-wrapping a box). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Place the chilled pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and dusted with flour.
In a small bowl, combine the Almond Cream ingredients and mix well. Spread the Almond Cream over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border on each side. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add 2 cups of the fresh blueberries and 2 cups of the fresh blackberries and toss to combine. Tip this the berries, sugar, and cornstarch mixture onto the Almond Cream, being mindful to retain the border.
Brush the corners with the whipping cream or beaten egg and fold the pastry borders over the filling toward the centre to create a neat rectangular package.
Brush the exposed pastry with additional cream or beaten egg and sprinkle the pas-try’s edges with the sugar. Dot the exposed fruit with the butter.
Bake in a preheated oven 20 minutes; then reduce the temperature to 375ºF and continue to bake another 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through. Ro-tate the pan during baking and cover loosely with foil once the pastry is golden.
Cool on a wire rack.
Once the galette has cooled, spread the remaining fresh berries over the filling. Serve at room temperature or rewarmed. Delicious with vanilla ice cream.
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