My Fig, Pear, and Brie Galette adventure started with a half-eaten blueberry cake, quietly incubating under a tea towel for a week. Until the little buggers started flying out everywhere. Next thing I know, I’m running to the back lane, cake, container and all, feeling terrible for throwing out my mom’s cake pan, but unable to lift the towel and face the horror underneath. As careful as I was, some fruit flies remained at large, looking for their next victim. It was obvious that the 5 kilo bag of pears I bought last week needed rescue. Enter the galette.
3 bestest friends — figs, pears and gooey melted brie. Take that, fruit flies.
The figs I used here are the Kadota variety — golden-green, stockier type. They’re noticeably less sweet than the purple Mission figs and have slightly thicker skin. Still wonderful — just a different character, that’s all.
If I had a small baking shop, I’d make this galette all the time. So pretty and eeeasy — no food processor needed. Here are some of my other ideas for fillings:
strawberries + blueberries + toasted walnuts
apples + cinnamon, obviously
nectarines + whole roasted almonds + honey
savory galette — skip the sugar and fill with sweet cherry tomatoes, basil and mozarella (galette-pizza!)
Yummy.
Fig, Pear, and Brie Galette
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 Kadota figs sliced into 4 segments and further sliced in half
- 3 pears peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- pinch of cinnamon
- about 125g brie cheese sliced, or to taste
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1 egg + 1 egg white
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and butter a medium cookie sheet.
- Prepare the fruit and place in a bowl with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix with your hands to combine. Set aside.
- In a second bowl, prepare the dough: mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, and stir well to combine. Add the cold butter and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until the consistency is sandy. Add the eggs and combine until a dough forms.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough a few times to form a soft ball. Using a rolling pin, flatten into a 13 inch circle, dusting with flour if needed so it doesn’t stick. Transfer the flattened dough on to the cookie sheet.
- Place the fruit mixture in the middle, leaving about 2 inches from the edge of the dough. Top with the brie cheese. Fold over the dough, lightly pressing in the creases.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35 – 40 mins, until the crust is browned and the filling bubbly. Cut into wedges and serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar.
