We had out of town company and I was inspired to make a galette -- a kind of rustic tart. I'd had one at a friend's house a few years ago and the memory lingered. So I went looking for a recipe.
Say what you will about her, Martha Stewart knows her cooking. This is her recipe. It was astonishingly quick and easy -- the pastry (which is tender and sweet and buttery) was a breeze to make. THE PATE BRISEE For two disks of pastry (one to freeze for another time) 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. sugar 2 sticks cold butter, cut in small pieces (Here I deviated very slightly from Ms. Stewart's recipe -- she calls for unsalted butter and a teaspoon of salt -- I use salted butter and omit the salt) 1/4 - 1/2 cup ice water
Put the flour, sugar, and butter into a food processor and process till the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Now, with the machine running, add a little (about 1/4 cup) ice water in a steady stream through the little hole in the top. Pulse till the dough holds together, adding more water if necessary. (NO MORE THAN 30 SECONDS pulsing time or the pastry will be tough!) Remove the dough and divide into two balls. On a floured surface, flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap each disk well and put in freezer. (One will stay there for future use, the other is just there to chill while you prepare the filling and the baking tin.)
PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 F THE FILLING 1 1/2 pounds of blueberries and sliced peaches (I didn't weigh them but probably used about 2 cups) 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 TB. cornstarch Stir together then set aside while you prepare a rimmed baking sheet. First cover with aluminum foil. (For easy cleanup if the fruit filling runs as it is likely to do) Then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Now remove the chilled disk of dough and roll out into a circle on a floured surface till about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer it to your prepared baking sheet ( I found this a little tricky but the dough is forgiving and the edges can be pieced back together) Heap the filling in the center of rolled out pastry, leaving a margin of 2 inches all around. Fold edges in, leaving an opening in the center. Brush pastry with a beaten egg then sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove and cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring the galette (still on the parchment paper) to a wire rack to cool completely. We gobbled it up plain but a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream wouldn't go amiss. And another time, I might throw some slivered almonds on the top before baking. I'm also thinking about a savory galette -- tomatoes and herbs and cheese? Figs and prosciutto and goat cheese? Oh, the possibilities!