Pear Galette with Almond Cream
The classic flavors of pear and frangipane are presented beautifully and easily in this free form Pear Galette with a buttery crust and rich almond filling. This is the perfect Fall dessert!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 247kcal
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 stick, cold and cut in small pieces
- ⅓ cup ice water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Frangipane (almond cream filling)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Pears and finishing touches
- 4 pears
- Juice of ½ lemon
- bowl ice water
- Egg wash 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
Optional finishes
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- Sparkling or raw sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey warmed
Instructions
Making the crust
- In the bowl of your food processor, pulse together all-purpose flour, butter (cut into small pieces and frozen), sugar, and salt until the butter is about the size of peas, 4 to 5 pulses.
- Add lemon juice to ice water and slowly drizzle 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.
- Dump all the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and use the plastic wrap to gather all of the crumbly bits together. Bring your hands together and form a ball under the plastic wrap. Flatten the dough into a round disc. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 3 days. While the dough is resting, let’s make some frangipane.
Frangipane
- Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the almond flour. Add in the egg and the extracts, mixing until it’s all combined and fluffy. Set aside.
Slicing your 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 browning before you assemble your galette.
- Place the pear on a cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Peel if desired. Use a melon-baller to remove the core.
- Place one pear-half, cut side down, on a cutting board. Slice it into ¼-inch slices beginning ¼ inch below the top. Leave the top ½ inch uncut.
- Dip the sliced pear-half in the lemon ice water and place on paper towel to dry while you slice the rest of the pears.
Galette Construction
- Preheat oven to 425° Place the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper on your counter. The parchment paper will make it easier to transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of your dough and on your rolling pin. Roll the dough out to a 14 inch circle . It doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Use a 10 inch lid of a pot, or a bowl, to mark a circle on your dough, which will be the border for spreading your frangipane and laying on your pears.
- Using an offset spatula, spread the frangipane on the center of your dough, leaving about a 2 inch border all around.
- Gently fan out your pears and place them on top of the frangipane. Start with 6 pear-half fans (three pears). Don't worry if some of the pear-halves break apart. You can just place them on the galette in a fan shape. No one will know.
- 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.
- Fold the edges of your dough over the filling, kind of overlapping as you go around. Brush the exposed crust with egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 teaspoon water) and sprinkle with sliced almonds or sparkling sugar, if desired
- 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. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- If you like, brush the exposed pears slices with warm honey to give them a shine.
Notes
While the galette is still warm, I like to warm up a couple of tablespoons of honey and brush it gently over the tops of the pears, giving them a beautiful shiny appearance and adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Store leftover Pear Frangipane Galette by either wrapping in plastic wrap or storing in an airtight container, such as a cake stand. It will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature, 5 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
