TWD – Fold Over Pear Torte Deconstructed (Almond-Pear Galette)

Wandering into the unknown isn’t something that I was ever comfortable with. For example:

For the first 20 years of my life, I had long (LONG) blonde hair. I dreamt of chopping it all off. I’d have daydreams about cute bobs, and adorable pixie cuts but I was too afraid of the unknown. How would I look? Would it fit my face? Yada, yada. But one day I just lept in and took the chop. And I loved it.

This torte was unknown territory for me as well. There’s no picture, the description is written as well as possible but it still wasn’t clear to me. I decided not to do it. Yesterday rolled around and the idea of a galette popped into my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’ve never made a galette before but it’s rustic simplicity was calling my name. So I dove in and took to chopping. Pears, that is.

I used Dorie’s recipe for the suggested pie crust (1/4 of the recipe) and subbed butter for shortening. It worked wonderfully!! I rolled the dough out to about 10″-12″ (rough estimate as I forgot to measure, doh!) and placed it on parchment paper and into the fridge to chill while I prepared the pears.

I just threw things together that sounded great and in the end, the scary unknown territory quickly became delicious, fruit filled territory that I was glad to have wandered. Dorie’s pie crust is PHENOM! Flaky, buttery, delicious! I have three batches of this dough in the freezer and ready to go for the rest of this months goodies and I can’t wait!

For the recipe as it was supposed to appear, head on over to Cakelaw’s blog Law’s of the Kitchen. Click here for the recipe.

Almond-Pear Galette
Makes one 6″ pastry (serves 1-4, depending on the baker’s generosity)

1/4 Dorie’s Good for almost anything pie crust (recipe here) rolled into a 10-“12″ round, on parchment (chilled)

1/2 large firm pear (I used Bartlett, just eat the other half 😉 )
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

1-1/2 TBSP light brown sugar
6 whole raw almonds, chopped (or sliced would work great)

1 egg (slightly beaten with a splash of water)
Sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Cut pear in half and remove cores with a spoon. Turn the pear horizontally (core would be horizontal) and slice into 1/4″ slices and place in a medium bowl.

2. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger to pears and toss until evenly coated.

3. Assemble the tart: place pear slices in a circular pattern onto the center of the crust leaving at least a 2” border. Sprinkle on brown sugar and then almonds.

4. Working your way around, fold the border in towards the center of the galette. Using a pastry brush (silicone brush works fine here) gently brush edges with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden and the pears are bubbly with juices.

5. Let it cool just enough to handle and serve plain, with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

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