Plum Marzipan Galette Food

THE MOST DELICIOUS AND EASY PLUM GALETTE

Steps:

• Make the pate brisee: Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be visible and in small pieces. Add the ice water and process for 5 seconds longer, just until the dough comes together; you should still be able to see the butter bits.
• Form the dough: Remove the dough from the processor and gather it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, into a 16" to 17" round, about ⅛" thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it to a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.
• Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Spread this mixture evenly over the dough to within 2" of the edge. Arrange the plum wedges on top and dot with the butter. Sprinkle all but 2 teaspoons of the remaining ⅓ cup sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2" border. (If the dough feels cold and firm, wait for a few minutes until it softens to prevent it from cracking.) Sprinkle the border with the reserved 2 teaspoons of sugar.
• Bake the gallete: Place the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is nicely browned. If any juices have leaked onto the baking sheet, slide a knife under the galette to release it from the sheet. Evenly brush the preserves over the hot fruit. This will give them a nice glaze. Let the galette cool to room temperature before serving.

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

APPLE MARZIPAN GALETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line a jelly roll pan with foil; coat foil with cooking spray. Roll dough to a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on prepared pan. Roll marzipan to a 9-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place marzipan on top of dough.
• Combine apple, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, 1/4 t. almond extract, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon apple mixture over marzipan. Fold 2-inch dough border over the apple mixture, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover apple mixture). Bake at 425°F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned (apple filling may leak slightly during cooking).
• Place 1/4 cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to dissolve the sugar evenly (about 4 minutes). Cook 1 minute or until golden. Remove from heat; carefully stir in 1/4 t. almond extract. Drizzle over galette.

PLUM & MARZIPAN PIE

Steps:

• Put the butter and flour in a food processor with 1/4 tsp salt and blend until the mixture resembles damp breadcrumbs. Or do this by rubbing the butter and flour together in a big bowl with your fingertips. Add the sugar and briefly whizz again or stir to combine.
• Whisk the egg yolk with 2 tbsp cold water, and drizzle over the flour mixture. Use the pulse button to blend the mixture once more, keep going until it starts to form larger clumps. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more water a tsp or 2 at a time, but no more than 3 tsp in total.
• Tip out onto a work surface and briefly knead the dough to bring it together into a smooth ball. Avoid overworking or it will become tough. Flatten the dough into a puck shape and wrap well in cling film. Chill for at least 30 mins, or for up to 2 days, or freeze for 2 months.
• Tip the plums, sugar and cornflour into a large pan, then toss to coat. Simmer for 3-5 mins, stirring now and then, until the plums have just begun to soften. Tip them into a sieve suspended over a large bowl, leave for 30 mins-1 hr, stirring every 10 mins, until the juice has all collected in the bowl.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Re-wrap the smaller piece of dough and set aside. Divide the larger piece of dough into the number of pies you'd like to make, or leave whole for a large one. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to the thickness of a 50p piece, or until large enough to line the base of your pie plate or tin, with a little pastry overhanging. Roll the dough over your rolling pin, lift into the plate or tin and press it well into the corners. Scatter the almonds or polenta over the base.
• Stir 2 tbsp of the strained plum juice and the almond extract into the plums. Spoon the filling into the pie dish, dotting the marzipan between the layers of plums as you go. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf.
• Top the pie with a lattice crust - follow the step-by-step images to see how to do this. First, arrange the pastry strips on top of your pie, with space between each one. Fold back alternate strips from the centre, then lay a strip across the middle, near the folds. Next, flip the folded strips back to cover the middle pastry strip. Fold back the strips that are woven under the middle piece. Finally, lay another strip across the middle, and flip alternate strips back again. Repeat until you have a woven pattern.
• Once covered, whisk the reserved egg white and brush over the pastry. Scatter with a little extra sugar, then place on the baking sheet and bake for 45 mins for a large pie, 35-40 mins for medium pies or 25-30 mins for mini pies, until golden and bubbling. Cool for 10 mins before serving with cream or ice cream.

PLUM & MARZIPAN TART TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Melt the butter in a 28cm tart tatin tin over a medium heat on the hob. Tip in the sugar and 1 tbsp water and cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time until lightly browned. If it looks slightly crumbly at this stage don't be put off, it will right itself in the oven. Remove from the heat and put in the plums, cut side up.
• Chop the marzipan into as many chunks as there are plum halves and put a chunk of marzipan in the hole in each plum left by the stone. Sprinkle a small pile of ground almonds over each plum half.
• Roll out the pastry and trim to 3cm larger than the tin all round. Lift the pastry on to the tin and tuck it down between the plums and the inside of the tin. (You can chill the tart ready for baking for up to 24 hours.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is risen, crisp and golden. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then place a large flat plate with a rim over the tin. Holding it over the sink in case of drips, carefully invert the tart on to the plate. Some juice from the plums is likely to escape, which is why you need a rim on the plate, but it's delicious, especially when mingled with pouring cream.