Almond Plum Galette Food

PLUM GALETTE

Steps:

• Dust a clean, dry surface with a small amount of flour (take a pinch between your fingers and then throw it onto the countertop like you were shooting dice). With a rolling pin, roll the pate sablee using quick, short strokes from the middle of the dough, until you've formed a circle roughly 10-inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Every few strokes, lift and turn the dough a quarter-turn, dusting underneath with a small amount more of flour, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Place your rolling pin over the bottom quarter of the dough and lift the bottom edge of the dough up and over the pin. Roll the pin away from you slightly to help gather the dough circle onto the pin, then unroll the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the plum wedges in a bowl and toss with the sugar and juice of half a lemon. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Working from the center, arrange the plum wedges thickly over the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border all around the edges. Fold the exposed edges of dough up and over the plums so that the galette looks something like a pizza with a border of crust all around the outside. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with more sugar. Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the fruit is soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on a baking rack. If using, sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
• When the galette is no longer hot to the touch, slide onto a cake plate or pedestal. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse the food processor on and off until the mixture resembles coarse sand with pea-sized lumps of butter still showing. Add the egg yolk and the ice water and pulse on and off until the mixture comes together but does not form a single mass. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gather it up into a loose ball. Working with a small bit of dough at a time, smoosh the dough across the counter away from you with the heel of your hand and then scrape it up with a pastry cutter and gather it back together, forming a second ball. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the smooshed dough is in a single ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Yield: 1 tart shell
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: none
• Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Ease of preparation: intermediate

PLUM, ALMOND AND ORANGE GALETTE

Steps:

• Remove the pastry from the freezer and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Leave it to thaw while you prepare the fruit. It will thaw quickly and is easiest to handle if it's cold. You want it just soft enough so that you can manipulate it.
• Combine the plums, 2 tablespoons of the sugar or honey, walnuts, orange zest, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a large bowl and gently toss together.
• Sprinkle the almond powder over the pastry, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border all around. Place the fruit on top. Fold the edges of the dough in over the fruit, pleating the edges as you work your way around the fruit to form a free-form tart that is roughly 9 inches in diameter. Place in the freezer on the baking sheet for 45 minutes to an hour. This helps the galette maintain its shape. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove the galette from the freezer. Brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash. Combine the sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the fruit and the crust. Place in the oven and bake 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbly and some of the juices have run out and caramelized on the parchment. Remove from the oven and serve hot or warm.

PLUM GALETTE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large (17- by 12-inch) baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Stir together semolina flour and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and spread evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange plums, skin sides down, in 1 layer on top of sugar mixture, then sprinkle plums with 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Fold in edge of dough to cover outer rim of plums, pleating dough as necessary.
• Bake galette, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until fruit is tender and juices are bubbling, about 5 minutes more.
• Transfer galette on baking sheet to a rack and immediately brush hot juices over plums using a pastry brush. Dust hot galette with confectioners sugar (sugar will melt and help glaze galette). Cool to warm or room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• While galette cools, stir together crme frache, Armagnac (if using), and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Serve galette with Armagnac cream.