Tuesday, July 29, 2008

TWD: Blackberry Nectarine Galette


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Amy of Michelle in Colorado Springs: Summer Fruit Galette. Having successfully made my very first homemade pie crust for the Double Crusted Blueberry Pie a few weeks ago, I went into this week's recipe with a little less trepidation.

A Galette is basically a single crust pie without the pie dish. You roll out your pie dough, add the fruit filling, then fold the edges of the crust towards the center to hold the filling in. It's a very simple, rustic dessert.


The beauty of this particular dessert is that you can fill this Galette with your favorite summer fruit, or whatever you have on hand. I decided to use blackberries and nectarines. Dorie suggests simply cutting the nectarines in half and placing them cut side down, but I didn't have enough nectarines to do this, so I simply used one half in the middle and then spread nectarine slices around it. I then filled in the gaps between the nectarine slices with blackberries. This ended up creating a sort of sunburst effect.


Dorie recommends two different elements to help soak up the fruit juices in this recipe: graham cracker crumbs and a custard drizzle. Instead of bread crumbs (what we used in the Blueberry Pie), graham cracker crumbs are spread along the bottom of this Galette to help absorb the fruit juices. Now I was a bit confused about the drizzle of custard that Dorie recommends for this Galette. At first, I had visions in my mind of a thick custard that was dolloped on top of the tart. Then I realized that I had misread the recipe instructions. It's basically an egg whisked together with some butter and sugar. Towards the end of baking, you drizzle it in between the nooks and crannies of the fruit - then stick it back in the oven to bake. I was initially worried that it would make the Galette terribly ugly, but while it did not enhance the appearance of the Galette, it did not make it look worse, in my opinion.


My absolute most favorite part of this Galette was the layer of ginger preserves at the bottom! I had never tried ginger preserves before, but they were fantastic with the fresh fruit! I used some Dundee Ginger Preserves I found at Central Market. I cringed a bit at the price ($8.00 for 16 ounces), but I'm so glad I did not opt for another type of preserve just to save money! I actually used 4 tablespoons of preserves instead of the 2-3 that Dorie recommends. It was the perfect complement to the fruit. What you will first notice when you bite into this Galette are the sweet and sour flavors from the fruit... then the sweet and spicy ginger hits your tongue, followed by the buttery and flaky pie crust. Mmmmm. Perfection.


I am not a huge fan of pies in general (except for apple crumb pie), but this has to be the best "pie" I have ever had. I will definitely be making this every summer. This recipe is really great for entertaining because you can make the pie dough ahead of time and freeze it. The actual assembly comes together in just minutes.


Thanks again to Michelle for choosing the Summer Fruit Galette. You challenged me to make my first Galette - and it was a success! Not only that, but I found another Dorie recipe that I am absolutely head over heels for! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here (with recipe tips here). Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see how everyone else enjoyed this rustic, summer treat.

31 comments:

  1. I was thinking it looked like a sunburt too... great effect!

    The ginger preserves sound to die for... I must check that out.

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  2. I love the sunburst pattern...and I'm glad the ginger preserves were such a hit. I'll have to splurge on some next time.

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  3. Oh my, BEYOND stunning - galettes are such works of art, and quite delectable :0)

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  4. I love the punch of color that the blackberries add! Beautiful!

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  5. Gorgeous galette you got there! I love the fruits you've chosen!

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  6. Your Galette is so pretty, I love the Sun burst look of it! Not only does it look pretty but it's making me HUNGRY!!!

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  7. Wow! It looks gorgeous and so yummy! I'd love a slice.

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  8. It looks wonderful!!

    -Amy
    www.singforyoursupperblog.com

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  9. your gallete is gorgeous! i love the look of the black berries and nectarines!

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  10. Looks fantastic!!!
    have a delicious day :)

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  11. woww yum!
    yours turned out beautifully!
    I was a little iffy about the custard as well, but thought, what the heck, it probably couldnt hurt it!
    I was definitely NOT dissapointed in the end.
    Great job!
    <3

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  12. What a gorgeous galette! I love how you arranged the fruit.

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  13. I'm impressed - I normally don't have the patience to arrange fruit nicely, but you do it well.

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  14. You're right, your galette does look like a sun! Good job!

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  15. Love the colors and sunburst look. The ginger preserve sounds fantastic too. I'm glad you liked this one!

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  16. Looks very tasty...and pretty...I have never made one before and think it may be time I try to!!!

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  17. My husband actually brought your galette to my attention. (He has started browsing the blogroll on tuesdays. lol). Yours is gorgeous!

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  18. I searched high and low for the ginger preserve and had no luck! Your galette looks delicious!

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  19. That looks so good. I'd love it for dessert after your chicken salad pitas.

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  20. your photos look gorgeous! and ginger preserves.. that's gotta be the highlight! good job!

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  21. wow! That looks beautiful! I bet it was super tasty too!

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  22. That looks nice and fresh and summery and good!

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  23. Your tart looks gorgeous! I bet it was really delicious with the ginger preserves!

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  24. The sunburst design is simple and stunning at the same time. Beautiful pictures!

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  25. Absolutely beautiful! Nice work Jamie!

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  26. i love the orb of a peach in the middle, i love your use of ginger preserves, and i love your imagination with the design! good heavens, you've done a wonderful job! :)

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  27. Ginger preserves sounded good but we did not have any so we went with lemon pear marmalade instead. Great pics!

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  28. It totally looks like a sunbeam! Makes me smile just looking at it. Beautiful as always! Great job!
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  29. This turned out just beautifully! Very yummy.

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