by Kathryn Davé
A kitchen is like a church—come as you are.
It welcomes your frozen waffles, your fancy dinner parties, even your takeout containers. November, of course, is game time for people who like to cook. Food magazines orient their whole year around this month and the next; Thanksgiving menus start flying around; holiday cookies are on the horizon. But maybe you, like many of us, are bone-tired this year. It’s a heavy time and hard to summon quite the same enthusiasm for extra effort.
And yet—creating is one way to pierce the clouds. I still want to cook my way to beauty, but I don’t have the reserves for banging out a buffet of pies or a complicated new turkey recipe. Turn with me, then, to the classics. To comfort. First stop is the galette, a rustic, free-form version of pie that delivers the best parts of a homemade pie with less fuss. This version combines pears with fresh cranberries in a lovely pas de deux of seasonal flavor, but really any fall fruit will do. The filling is flexible and the crust is forgiving. It doesn’t take long to mix up the pastry crust. You can do it. Turn on a podcast or some jazz while you roll it out. While you’re at it, invite a friend for dinner. Who cares what you’re having—you’re having galette!
Days are long, life is short, and the moments you spend in the kitchen often lead to the moments you remember. It’s nice if the memories include a warm slice of pear cranberry galette.
Pear Cranberry Galette
Yield: 1 12-inch galette or 4 mini galettes
Ingredients:
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
¼ c. sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
½ c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
¼ c. (plus more, as needed) ice water
4 Bosc pears, sliced thinly
¾ c. fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
½ c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten vigorously
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions:
- Stir together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a couple of forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Add the water and stir until the flour is moistened, adding more water one tablespoon at a time as needed until the dough begins to come together in a shaggy clump. Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead the dough a few times until it all comes together. Form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a thick disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 3 months).
- Meanwhile, gently combine pear slices, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla in a large bowl. Chill, covered, until ready to assemble the galette.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, roll the disk out into a large 12-inch circle. (Alternatively, divide the disk into four equal pieces and roll each out into a 5-inch circle before proceeding.) Gently fold the dough circle over and transfer it to the parchment paper. Arrange the pear-cranberry filling in the center of the dough, making sure to leave any pear juices behind in the bowl so the crust doesn’t get soggy.
- Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, overlapping as necessary, and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle the washed edges liberally with turbinado sugar for sparkle.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes (40–50 for smaller galettes) until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or nothing at all.
Photography by Jivan Davé
