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    The colder seasons may lack the array of summer fruit, but that doesn’t mean underwhelming desserts. This rustic pear galette nestles juicy pears inside a flaky, buttery crust flecked with spicy cinnamon, sugar, and ginger. The muted palette may seem underwhelming, but the beauty of this easy pear galette is in its simplicity and depth of flavor.

    Rustic Ginger and Pear Galette with Slice

    How to make the easiest pear galette?

    It’s fair to say I’m a fan of galettes. Typically, I opt for Tartine’s consistently excellent approach of cutting thin strips of butter into a dough not too far removed from a rough puff pastry. Here, I’ve swapped my rolling pin for the food processor for a faster yet still tender, flaky crust. After a few pulses, flour, butter, and water whir together into your galette dough.


    That’s all!

    Closeup with serving spoon

    Once the dough comes together, roll it out into a circle. Cut the pears so you can fan the slices on top of the dough, leaving about a one-inch boarder before sprinkling with cinnamon, sugar, and ginger. I use two types of ginger, ground ginger and crystallized ginger, for a double punch of spice. For a bit of acidity, squeeze half a lemon over the top. I wouldn’t call it necessary, but it helps cut through the sweetness.

    Remember that untouched border of dough? Roll it up to the edge of the pears to create a buttery retaining wall. All that pear juice will mix with the sugar and crystallized ginger and concentrate. This is something we definitely want to happen.

    For a pear galette with a perfectly golden, crispy crust, I use a two-stage bake. I start at a high temperature to set the crust, then turn the heat down to set the filling. Once the crust is golden brown, serve a wedge with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

    Single slice with fork

    What is crystallized ginger?

    A little spicy, a little sweet, crystallized ginger adds a warm punch of ginger to cakes, yogurt — really anything. Crystallized ginger starts by cooking peeled ginger in a thick simple syrup until soft and tender. Then, it is sprinkled with coarse sugar giving it that eponymous name.

    Crystallized ginger is easy to make and can be found in most grocery stores or online.

    Can a galette be made ahead of time?

    This pear galette recipe can absolutely be made ahead of time and freezes beautifully. The frozen galette can go straight from the freeze right into a hot over. I actually always freeze my galettes fully prepared before baking if time allows. Freezing the dough beforehand ensures cold butter, which is necessary to create flaky, crunchy layers of pastry.

    Ginger and Pear Galette and Ingredients
    Ginger and Pear Galette

    Flaky Ginger and Pear Galette

    Evan Kalman
    This beautiful (and easy) rustic pear galette nestles juicy pears inside a flaky, buttery crust flecked with cinnamon, sugar, and spicy ginger.
    Prep Time 30 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Resting Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 2 hours
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 ½ cups 180 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (1 cup weighs 120 g)
    • ½ tsp kosher salt
    • 11 Tbsp 155 g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
    • 5 Tbsp 75 ml ice water
    • 4 Tbsp 50 g granulated sugar
    • ¼ tsp ground ginger
    • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
    • 2 Bosc pears, cut into 1/16-inch slices
    • 1 ½ Tbsp 15 g crystallized ginger, finely chopped
    • ½ lemon
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1 Tbsp heavy cream
    • 2 Tbsp 25 g demerara sugar
    • 1 Tbsp pistachios, chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside.
    • In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter (reserving 1 Tbsp) and pulse until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces. Slowly add 4 to 5 Tbsp of ice water in a steady stream and pulse until the dough starts to come together. It should be sandy and moist, but not wet. You may not need all of the water. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and work with your hands until it can be formed into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
    • In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Finely dice the crystallized ginger and set it aside. Slice pears in half lengthwise and core. Cut each half into ¹⁄₁₆-inch (1.5 mm) thick slices. Slice all the way through, but keep the pear halves together.
    • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch to 13-inch round ⅛-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle all of the sugar-spice mix and the crystallized ginger over the galette dough.
    • Arrange the pear halves on top, separating the slices like a fan, leaving a 1-inch (5 cm) border around the edge. Zest half a lemon and squeeze the juice over the pears. Roll the edge of the crust to the pears (adjusting the position of the pears if necessary) like a pie crust.
    • Beat the egg yolk and heavy cream in a small bowl, then brush over the crust. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of the egg wash. Dot with an additional 1 Tbsp cubed unsalted butter if desired. Freeze the galette for at least 30-minutes (or cover and freeze overnight).
    • Preheat the oven to 425°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake the frozen galette for 15 minutes before reducing to 375°F and bake for another 45-50 minutes. Once the galette is browned, remove and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
    Keyword cinnamon, cystralized ginger, ginger, pear, pistachio
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