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Galettes


Curlz

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Let me start by saying that I am not, not, NOT a baker! But I recently made a peach and blueberry galette recipe that was so ridiculously easy, tasty and elegant that I had to make it for a dinner party I went to tonight. The problem is, there was a ton of juice running out of it this time, and it made for a completely soggy bottom crust! Don't get me wrong; this one still tasted delicious, but it was a floppy mess! The first time I made it, the soggy factor was lower, but still there.

So I'm turning to the experts...what's the secret? I can't imagine pre-baking the crust b/c then it wouldn't be malliable enough to fold up around the fruit. I did sprinkle a little bit of flour on the fruit before baking this time, as I had read that would help to keep it from running, but I either need a lot more, or another solution. And I was very careful not to overload the crust, so that wasn't the problem either. I also used a slotted spoon to get the fruit out of the bowl, so I left lots of juice behind even before baking. I'm stumped! Fwiw, the short ingredient list is (in this case, fresh) peaches, blueberries, 1/8 c of turbinado sugar, and a TBSP of heated jam on the open portion of the galette. I used (gulp) a pre-made crust from the dairy aisle (both times). And I baked it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Heeeeeeeeeeelp? :wacko:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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I don't have much experience with Galettes but I noticed in Melissa's blog that she put bread crumbs under her filling to help soak up the juice. That may be worth a try. I'm sure others with experience will help too.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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I don't have much experience with Galettes but I noticed in Melissa's blog that she put bread crumbs under her filling to help soak up the juice. That may be worth a try. I'm sure others with experience will help too.

Yup. The original recipe (I put a link to the recipe from Fine Cooking in the blog) called for crushed amaretti cookies. I didn't have any amaretti, but I did have some sliced white bread that was getting just a little dry. I buzzed a slice in my spice grinder to turn it to crumbs, and used that instead. No problems with juice sogging my galette, even though the plums I'd used were exceedingly juicy. However, what I did notice was that I missed the little bit of nuttiness and sweetness the cookies would have added, especially since the recipe didn't call for any additional sweetener in the filling and the crust wasn't particularly sweet. If I'd had other crunchy cookies on hand, their crumbs might have been a good choice in addition to or in place of the breadcrumbs. Now that I think about it, some gingersnaps would have been a nice addition to the galette I made. Guess that means I'll have to try it again! :wink:

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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i just did one using puff pastry(with a border scored into it), mix of crushed nuts, ginger, butter and smidge of brown sugar... served w/a lemon creme... and came out well enough to serve on the menu that night.

Deadheads are kinda like people who like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but people who like licorice, *really* like licorice!

-Jerry Garcia

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i think slicing the fruit very thin helps, then cooking at a fairly high temperature to start helps to dry out the fruit (and make the pastry puff/crisp). then you can turn the oven down a bit to finish cooking everything.

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I think the reason for the difference in the 2 tarts is the peaches. Some are really juicy and some are less so. Even though you spoones them uot and left juices behind, they could have released more in the oven. Fruit is pretty variable, and you never really get the same thing twice. I usually use a bit of cornstarch as a thickener. I'll have to try cookies, gingersnaps sound pretty good!

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My first comment is:

I always toss my fruit (drained) with a little sugar and cornstarch prior to using in a shell, pie or otherwise. I don't like my fruit desserts to be all watery.....I like to thicken fruit fillings in all instances.....less mess and less sog.

The cookie/breadcrumb thing is a great idea....definitely soaks up the extra juice and adds pleasing flavor/texture. Since I'm a fruit and cheese lover, I also like to line the bottom of my shells with very thin slices of brie. That may not be for everyone, but I love the flavor, and it really helps prevent sog too.

Ok, now regarding the term "Galette"......!

What does "Galette" mean, actually?

I've heard of cookies referred to as a "Galette", fruit desserts as the topic here, cakes, and even savory items, like for instance, "potato galette".

If someone says to me, "How do I make a Galette?" I have no idea how to answer them, because I don't know what kind of "Galette" they are talking about.

I see no consistency in the use of the term. I don't know if it refers to a shape, a methodology, a baking method, or use of certain ingredients. In every instance I see "Galette" used, I cannot establish a common denominator.

This may fall into the old, "Torte" argument (Torte Reform? :laugh:), where "Torte" is seemingly used interchangeably across the board. When someone says "Torte" to me, I always have to ask them to clarify, because a lot of times they actually mean "Tart". Same with "Galette". These people always look at me funny when I ask them to describe what they are talking about, because I've just taken myself down a few rungs on the PC ladder. "Goodness! She calls herself a pastry chef, and she doesn't even know what a Galette is!!!!"

Sometimes, you just can't win........ :laugh:

Edited by chefpeon (log)
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Wow...some great info here! I knew where to turn... :wink: I'm no help in the "what's the definition of a galette?" department, but in my mind, it has always been a loosely made pie with an open top. Then again, what do I know? :wacko:

So here's the thing; this recipe was from Cooking Light, which would explain why they're not including cornstarch (or flour, I'm guessing). I lightly floured the bottom crust before putting the fruit on top of it, but I definitely only used a sprinkle of flour. I like the idea of adding crushed cookies, but I think it would detract from the full fruit, not much sugar added and oh-so-summery flavor! Maybe I'll try some cornstarch next time--can any of you tell me how much? I'm also still interested in knowing if there is any way to get the bottom of the whole thing any browner, which I'm guessing would make it a little sturdier. Should I put it on a rack over a cookie sheet next time? Would the extra air flow help?

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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I'm just going to ditto what others have already written. Fruit contains moisture and each fruit (even the same type of fruit) has different moisture levels. Baking a fruit breaks down the fruit into a more liquid state............plus the excess moisture runs out. SO you have to put something with your fruit to absorb or thicken the juices.

Adding cookie crumbs or bread crumbs do absorb your moisture............but you've got to have enough in relation to how wet your fruit is, for this technique to work. If you don't have enough, your crust will still be soggy and if you have very wet fruit you can't add enough cookie crumbs to absorb your moisture well enough. You don't have to bring your fruit up to a boil for the crumbs to absorb. Therefore you don't have to bake your fruit as much as a thickener requires.

Adding a thickener like cornstarch or flour is also a bit of a guessing game (hense all the talk and confusion people have over baking pies) as to how much to use, depending upon how wet your fruit is, or how soft it gets when it's baked. For these thickeners to work, you MUST bring the liquids of the fruit up to a boil, for the thickeners to set. So you can't underbake your fruit when using these.

For the most part I think of using thickeners in fruit pies, not in open faced galettes. I tend to be in the group of people that choose a high heat and thinnly sliced fruit to make my galettes. Depending upon what fruit I'm using.......I'm also usually pre-baking my crust so I'm making sure it sets up well............because usually a raw crust takes too long to bake in comparision to my fruit (which sliced thin, doesn't take along time to bake). It's similar to baking a pizza, you've gotta keep your crust thin and bake it in a high heated oven.

In addition to using cookie crumbs I use frangipane and pastry cream to absorb some of my extra fruit juice between by fruit and crust.

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I'm just wondering has anyone tried putting their pie plate over a burner for a few minutes when they pull it out of the oven to crisp up the bottom? If you can do it for a second or two to help release items that are sticking to the pan I don't see why you couldn't do it for a little longer to help with your crust. It's an extra step of course, but it seems like it might help...

you might also experiment with different crusts to see if another crust holds up better for this particular recipe.

I've always done the flour or cornstarch method, but I really like the amaretti idea. I think it would be particularly good with blueberries.

By the way, what Curlz describes as a Gallete here I have heard called a Country Style Tart.

Do you suffer from Acute Culinary Syndrome? Maybe it's time to get help...

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. . . .

Ok, now regarding the term "Galette"......!

What does "Galette" mean, actually?

I've heard of cookies referred to as a "Galette", fruit desserts as the topic here, cakes, and even savory items, like for instance, "potato galette".

. . . .

Sometimes, you just can't win........ :laugh:

For what it's worth, in Brittany, a galette is a savory crepe made with buckwheat flour.

Robert Buxbaum

WorldTable

Recent WorldTable posts include: comments about reporting on Michelin stars in The NY Times, the NJ proposal to ban foie gras, Michael Ruhlman's comments in blogs about the NJ proposal and Bill Buford's New Yorker article on the Food Network.

My mailbox is full. You may contact me via worldtable.com.

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I'm just wondering has anyone tried putting their pie plate over a burner for a few minutes when they pull it out of the oven to crisp up the bottom?  If you can do it for a second or two to help release items that are sticking to the pan I don't see why you couldn't do it for a little longer to help with your crust.  It's an extra step of course, but it seems like it might help...

RLB recommends chilling the whole thing before baking and then setting it directly on the hot oven floor or bread stone to bake. The idea being that the crust crisps up before the fruit has a chance to get warm.

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Personally, I don't think theres any advantage to RLB's tip. The crust is chilled too, so the whole items process of baking is slowed down. Yeah your very bottom 1/32" of a crust that touches the piazza stone might cook more, but that would be the case no matter what (of starting with a room temp. crust or a chilled one), that's why you use a pizza stone (it retains the heat)..........

If you making a thick deep pie, then I freeze it before baking and do find that that technique slows down the filling so the crust gets cooked more.

Give it a try, try out the various techniques, try using different fruits too..........see what opinions YOU form.

I think of a 'galette' as being something open faced, as in no top crust (even though it could have crumbs or similar on top of your main item).......and/or shaped as a thin disk.....as in a potato galette........

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Hi, I'm not a professional baker...

I've made this type of "galette" with just blueberries and with this and in my pies I've used corn starch as a thickener and also have thickened with tapioca. These have been big helps especially with peach pies that can give off a LOT of juice.

Also, I wanted to contribute the FLC's definition of Galette just to muddy the waters some on the subject:

galette {gah-LEHT} Hailing from france, a galette is a round, rather flat cake made of flaky-pastry dough, yeast dough or sometimes unleavened dough. The term also applies to a variety of tarts both savory and sweet, and there are as many variations as there are French regions. They may be topped with fruit, jam, nuts, meat, cheese etc.

Happy cooking!

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...  I'm also still interested in knowing if there is any way to get the bottom of the whole thing any browner, which I'm guessing would make it a little sturdier.  Should I put it on a rack over a cookie sheet next time?  Would the extra air flow help?

When I make galettes I do them on a pizza stone. Then the only thing you need to worry about is over browning the bottome. :laugh:

"Half of cooking is thinking about cooking." ---Michael Roberts

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  • 11 months later...

Sour Cherry

and

Pistachio

A galette of fruit from the farmers market with pistachio paste swept across the pastry before the filling is added. Wadda think :unsure: ?

There are some threads right now on Cherry Overload and Sicilian Cooking and lots of old threads I found via an eG search for pistachio paste, but mostly questions about where to find it.

I got my hands on a free 8 oz. jar of Organic pistachio paste from Sicily ($22-$35 online plus shipping :shock: ) and I hate to squander it. I was planning on making something like filled cookies or budini di riso with the paste in which the taste was pronounced.

Then I thought about this combo and wonder if it's a bit of an overkill and a waste of the paste. (Could always just use a few ounces for a corner and save the rest for part of a batch of something else.)

Alice Waters adds almond paste to her peach galette, thusly. Traditional complements.

I notice there are a number of recipes online that pair pistachios with the proposed fruit, such as a creme brulee of the former with sour cherry sauce, but this dessert gives the two breathing room.

Also, I wonder if there is just going to be a soggy mess of goo, the paste compromising the thickening of the cherry juice.

Was about to give up on the idea, but then found this from David Lebovitz. Scroll down to the Tarte Griotte :wub:

I was thinking this might be a nice way to be diplomatic about the finalists in the World Cup should France continue to maintain its current lead (?) in the game: an Italo-French dessert.

I'm about to make the dough and pit the fruit. I'll check back for nays or ayes.

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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They look delicious! I'm no expert and have only tired one dessert with the two flavours. I found the pistachio a bit strong so I would only suggest that the layer be quite thin. I used some pistachio paste in a very boring but delicious way recently...just in a pistachio buttercream sandwiched between thin layers of butter cake and sliced small for petit fours. Everyone who had it thought it was amazing. Let us know how it is.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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I use a small layer of cookie crumbs or graham crumbs for my galettes. The other thing I do is roast my fruit with the sugar to draw out some of the liquid (especially strawberries and rhubarb). The roasted fruit gets a small amount of butter, flour and lemon juice tossed through and I let it cool before I use it.

I like Michelle's brie idea though........I think I have to go make a fruit and brie tart now!

:biggrin:

If only I'd worn looser pants....

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They look delicious! I'm no expert and have only tired one dessert with the two flavours. I found the pistachio a bit strong so I would only suggest that the layer be quite thin. I used some pistachio paste in a very boring but delicious way recently...just in a pistachio buttercream sandwiched between thin layers of butter cake and sliced small for petit fours. Everyone who had it thought it was amazing. Let us know how it is.

Ultimately, I decided to reserve the pistachio paste for a more traditionally Sicilian dolce some time later in the month since I am participating in the Cooking and Cuisine of Sicily thread.

Malawry confirmed the wisdom of that decision and recommended one thing I learned via a number of sources: pairing almond with cherries.

I used pulverized amaretti in addition to a tiny bit of almond extract.

The galette was delicious; I am especially partial to Deborah Madison's recipe for the pastry as opposed to pie crust: thicker and very light with melted butter and sugar coating the parts of the dough that are folded over to enclose the fruit.

That said, I suspect a pie would have better in dealing with the cherries. There was so much juice that a pie pan would have been more appropriate for the filling.

This was the first time I bought sour cherries, probably the last week they were available in our farmers markets. I was equally conservative when it came to the amount of sugar I added. I love the tartness with a dab of sour cream.

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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  • 1 month later...

I to make these alot for bakeries and such. I use a bit of cornstarch mixed with sugar and toss with the fruit and quickly put into crust(the sugar makes them juice) . Galettes are wonderful so simple so pretty!

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I made a fig and blackberry galette a couple of days ago, and had a layer of almond meal, sugar, and flour on the bottom--that'd be kind of like crushed amaretti, but without the bitter almond taste. It worked well at sucking up the juices and preventing sogginess (sp?). I was in a strange kitchen without a baking stone, so couldn't try that, and my crust ended up not very crispy.

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