Is it bad that part of the reason I look forward to having children is that I’ll be able to cook and eat a greater variety of things?
Don’t look at me like that – let me explain.
Currently, it’s just the hubs and me. And hubby is picky.
So when it comes to making something he doesn’t like, I have to factor in that part where I’ll be the only one eating it. I can’t stand wasting food, so I pick my battles carefully!
I’m going to have to eat this entire galette by myself.
I’m not really complaining.
If we do have kids though… he wants me to “cook whatever” and plans to just suffer through the things he doesn’t like in the interest of raising non-picky kids. Sounds weird but I’ll take it! Complete cooking freedom! Woooo!
In the meantime, the realm of fruit + breadlikethings is alllllll mine. And yours! If you like that sort of crazy thing.
So let’s get down to business.
Do you own a cherry pitter? I don’t, and until I saw this tip on how to pit cherries with a bottle and a chopstick, I didn’t use cherries for much beyond snacking.
Since finding that out… I think I’ve gone through about 12 pounds of cherries in this house. It’s been insane. And delicious.
One of my favorite ways to devour large amounts of any fruit is a galette. It’s like a pie without all the fuss. Plus, a galette cools down much faster than a pie, which means you can get to the devouring sooner!
This galette is mildly sweet with a super flaky crust. There’s a dash of almond extract in there because I love that flavor combination. It’s not enough to taste almondy really, but it gives the cherries that extra somethin’ somethin’.
Rustic Sweet Cherry Galette
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School
I use Martha Stewart’s pate brisee recipe, which makes enough for two crusts. The extra one will keep in the freezer for a month, so you’re ready to go when your next craving strikes!
Serves
6-8
Ingredients
- one 9 or 10″ pie crust, chilled
- 2 lbs cherries, pitted (a little over 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit for about 10 minutes before rolling out. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt and almond extract.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out to a 14-inch round (rough edges are ok). Transfer the dough on its parchment to a rimmed sheet pan. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border all the way around. Fold the border up around the fruit, letting it fall into creases naturally.
- Brush the edges of the galette with the egg wash, and sprinkle the crust generously with the coarse sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the center, 1 – 1 1/4 hours. Be sure to bake until the juices are bubbling, otherwise the cornstarch won’t have activated and thickened the juices.
- Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. After that, transfer the parchment directly to the wire rack to cool completely before serving.