Pear Galette with Almond Cream

You're going to love this delicious and rustic Pear Galette featuring a rich almond cream filling. Perfect for a cozy Fall brunch, dessert, or any time you want to feel a little fancy.

This Pear Galette with frangipane filling is pretty darn close to being the perfect breakfast or dessert. It just looks so inviting, like a partially opened present, with the gift peeking through the center of the crust. It's meant to be rustic, which is just a polite way of saying it can, and maybe should, be messy. 

The galette dough recipe is practically foolproof. It all comes together in less than a minute in your food processor and it holds the almond cream and the pears in a flaky, buttery hug. You can make your own crust or buy one premade (I'm not a dough shamer). The combination of flavors and textures in this galette are absolutely delightful. You're going to love it!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Quick - While a traditional pie has to bake up to an hour, and needs to rest at least 2 hours before slicing, you can assemble, bake and be eating this Pear Galette in less than half the time!
• Easy - With only a single crust that folds up to hug the fruit and frangipane filling, a galette is simple and delicious.
• Crust lover's delight - There is a high crust to filling ratio, for those of us who can't get enough of a crispy, flaky crust.
• No soggy bottom - Having a high crust to filling ratio, and the open top, means that moisture from the filling will evaporate more quickly, ensuring a crispy, not soggy, bottom to your galette.
• Customizable - Pears and almond frangipane is by no means the only thing you can place in a galette crust. Let your cravings and imagination run wild!

Ingredients

As always, I try to make the ingredients in my recipes either ones that you already have in your pantry or are that are easy to find. My goal is to make cooking and baking less intimidating and more approachable.  I want you to be able to make delicious food with fresh ingredients and feel confident doing so!

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a few easy ingredient substitutions that you can make and still enjoy this Pear Frangipane Galette:

• Flour - I use every day all purpose flour for the crust. It makes the perfect base that holds the fillings well. If you want to use a gluten-free flour, this would be a great place to use it because we are not trying to build any kind of structure. We're just trying to hold in delicious flavors.
• Pears - I used Anjou pears, but bosc or concorde will also work well. Bartlett pears can become too soft during baking, so if that's what you have, make sure to use them while they are still quite firm.
• Almond cream - The flavor of almond cream, also known as frangipane, is a perfect base for the pears, but if you are allergic to almonds, but still want a creamy filling, the almond flour can be replaced with oat flour or coconut flour.
• Pie crust - This recipe includes a simple and delicious buttery crust, but you can absolutely replace it with a store bought crust that you just need to unroll.

Variations

The best thing about a frangipane galette is that you can change things up depending on what's on sale, what you have on hand, or what you're craving!

• Apple - Who doesn't love apple pie? You can absolutely substitute apples for the pears. Use my Apple Galette recipe and add the layer of frangipane beneath the fruit.
• Peach - My Peach Frangipane Galette is a great late Summer galette that can be made year round with frozen peaches!
• Berries - Substitute 2 cups of mixed berries for the pears, and just before adding to the galette toss them with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and a squeeze of lemon.
• Citrus - My Winter Citrus Galette has a base of my simple lemon curd and is topped with a variety of seasonal citrus fruits.
• Puff pastry tart - You can also up the fanciness of your Pear Frangipane Galette by using puff pastry in place of the pie crust. Either store bought puff or my simple rough puff pastry will do the trick.

Instructions

This recipe is so simple, anyone can do it. Make the crust up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use and you've already reduced the time loads! Make the frangipane ahead and you're practically done before you start!

Making galette crust

1. Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few times to mix. Add the butter.

2. Pulse the butter and flour together 4 to 5 times, until the butter is about the size of peas. Place ⅓ cup, 80 grams, of water in a measuring cup and add ice to get it as cold as possible. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

3. Slowly drizzle water/lemon juice into the opening of your food processor, pulsing until the dough just barely comes together. Pinch some of the dough between your fingers. If it clings together, it's done.

4. Dump all of the dough, scraping the inside of the food processor, onto a piece of plastic wrap on your counter.

5. Use the plastic wrap to gather all of the crumbly bits together. Bring your hands together and form a ball under the plastic wrap. Wrap it up.

6. Flatten the dough into a round disc and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 3 days.

Making frangipane

1. To make frangipane, mix together butter, sugar, almond flour, and salt until well incorporated.

2. Add egg and almond extract and mix on low until combined.

3. Mix on high until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (This part can be done up to 7 days ahead and kept refrigerated)

Slicing pears

Before slicing your pears, prepare a bowl of ice water with a squeeze of lemon juice. You will dip your pears in this solution to prevent them from browing before you assemble your galette.

Try to use firm pears. Fanning out your pears will be too difficult if it is soft or mushy. Wash your pears and peel if desired (not required). Place the pear on a cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Use a melon-baller to remove the core.

1. Place one pear half cut side down on the board. Slice it into ¼-inch slices beginning ¼ inch below the top. Leave the top uncut.

2. Dip the sliced pear in a bowl containing ice water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and place on paper towel to dry while you slice the rest of the pears.

Assemble galette

1. Place a piece of parchment paper on your counter. Roll your dough out to a 14 inch circle (conveniently, about the width of your parchment paper). It doesn't have to be perfect.

2. Use a pot lid, bowl, or another round object about 10 inches across to gently make a light impression on your dough.

3. This impression will give you a border into which you will spread your frangipane and place your pears.

4. Using an offset spatula, spread the frangipane on the center of your dough, leaving about a 2 inch border all around.

5. Gently fan out your pears and place them on top of the frangipane. Start with 6 pear half fans.

6. Use the last 2 pear fan halves and break them apart to fill in the smaller gaps between full halves, until the entire circle is covered.

7. Fold the edges of your dough over the filling, kind of overlapping as you go around.

8. Brush the exposed crust with egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 teaspoon water).

9. If desired, sprinkle the edges of your galette with sliced almonds.

10. Bake at 425° for 40-50 minutes, or until your crust is a nice golden brown and your frangipane is puffy and peeking up between your pears, turning your pan halfway through the time, to ensure an even bake.

If you'd like to put a little shine on your pears, brush the exposed pears with a little warm honey. Let your galette cool 10 to 15 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Recipe FAQ's

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