Cherry Galette
My mom makes delicious pies. Her daughter is scared to make pies. I can’t tell you why. A fear of not living up to the greatness? Maybe. Luckily, however, galettes exist – faster, easier, an entirely more forgiving. This cherry galette is just the latest of my many obsessions.
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Cherry Galette
So what’s a galette? Basically it’s a pie crust with a fruit filling. You fold the sides up and over the fruit, bake it, and enjoy the heck out of it.
The major difference, to me at least, is that there isn’t as much filling as a pie, so the crust is more of a factor in the dessert than a pie.
Is that a problem? No! Most Galettes have sugar sprinkled over the top of the crust (as I do here). You can also serve it with homemade whipped cream (yes, alcohol infused whipped cream would be a good idea), or ice cream.
But the best part is that it’s a rustic dessert. Pies usually look so perfect, I think hence my hesitation. Galettes embrace the broken crusts, the uneven filling in bites, etc.
Frozen Cherry Desserts
Ok. so a cherry galette can absolutely be made with fresh cherries. In fact, give it a whirl. But while I greatly value my cherry pitter (especially with a kiddo at our table)….I don’t wanna pit all the cherries for this recipe. I’m lazy, I know. So, I like using frozen cherries (already pitted) – easy.
Sweet Cherries vs Tart Cherries
So. there are basically two groups of cherries in terms of flavor – sweet cherries and tart (or sour) cherries. I ADORE sour cherry jam, it’s the perfect tang mixed with just the right amount of sugar, but for the sake of ease, I’d recommend sweet cherries in this galette.
If you look at the recipe, there’s not much sugar added, so we’re counting on the natural sweetness to carry the day. If you want to use sour cherries, then you’ll want to probably up the sugar, or serve it with something sweeter/creamier.
Cherry Galette Crust Recipe
So, I don’t have a recipe for the pie crust below – for two reasons. One, as mentioned before, I’m kind of scared of pie crusts, so I don’t have my own go to recipe. My mom swears by the Crisco vegetable shortening recipe, which does taste great. But it’s made from soybean oil and anything with soy in it gives me migraines.
Two. I think pie crust recipes are like chocolate chip cookie recipes – everybody has the best recipe, which is to say, you do you and I’ll do me. And if the best recipe for you is a store-bought crust, that is TOTALLY FINE!
The big question is whether a shortening or a butter-based crust is best in this cherry galette. And the answer is that either is delicious!
What You Need…
More Dessert Recipes…
CHERRY GALETTE
Ingredients
- Dough for 1 9-inch pie crust homemade or store-bought*
- 2 cups frozen sweet cherries thawed and drained
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the cherries to a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the cornstarch, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or your silpat on the countertop. Pat or roll the dough into a 9-inch circle in the center of the parchment.
- Place the cherry filling in the center of the dough. Arrange the fruit in a single layer leaving about 2 inches around the perimeter of the circle. Fold the edges of the dough up over the filling.
- Stir together the egg and water in a small bowl to create an egg wash. Brush the top of the crust generously with the egg wash.
- Sprinkle the top of the galette with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.
- Slide the parchment/silpat with the galette from the counter onto a baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This was a great recipe! I would use 3 cups of cherries and less salt next time. Will be making again and again!
I made this a few days ago and my family was so impressed! It was also really easy to make!!