Plum Galette

The first of the season's plums appeared at my co-op this week so I've been anxious to start cooking with them - I love plums! I decided I wanted to make something simple and rustic that really highlighted the plums themselves. I decided a galette was the way to go - galettes are round, free form, French "cakes" made with a pie crust. I searched my favorite food blogs and cookbooks looking for a recipe that appealed to me - I never found one, so I developed my own, borrowing a few ideas I came across along the way.

Ingredients:
1 butter pie crust (Butter Pie Crust for recipe)
¼ cup skinless almonds
7 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons flour
8-10 plums (1½ pounds)
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter

For the apricot glaze
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare the piecrust by making and rolling the dough to about 13-inches round. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Toast the almonds over medium-low heat until starting to brown and fragrant (~5 minutes). When the almonds are toasted let cool and then finely chop. Toss chopped almonds with 2 tablespoons sugar and flour and set aside. Wash, pit, and slice the plums into 1/4-inch slices. Toss the plums with 2 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt.

Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and spread the almond mixture evenly in the center of the dough leaving a one inch border. Arrange the plums in circles over the almond mixture.

Fold the dough over the first circle of plums, pleating when necessary. Brush the dough with water and sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar over galette. Slice the butter into three tabs and place on top of the plums.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes with a foil cover and then reduce temperature to 375F and bake for 30 minutes more without the foil cover. While the galette is baking make the apricot glaze by combining the apricot preserves and water over medium heat and bring to a quick simmer, remove from heat, strain and set aside. When the galette comes out of the oven brush with apricot glaze and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Bon appetit!