Pear Galette with Frangipane
This pear galette recipe is a rustic free-form pie with a buttery crust, almond frangipane filling, and juicy pears. It makes a perfect fall dessert. The taste is like a pie, with a little more crunch from the exposed pastry.
The best pears to use in galettes, pear pie, and tarts can hold their shape when baked without going mushy. They should be ripe pears but still slightly firm. Pears ripen off the tree, at room temperature so it can sometimes be a bit of a race to use them before they are too ripe. Bosc pears, Anjou and Bartlett pears are all good varieties to use. The pictured pear galette is using Bosc pears.
The galette dough in this recipe is this all-butter flaky pie crust. You could also use rough puff pastry or inverted puff pastry, or store-bought pie crust. You’ll need enough dough for a single 9-inch pie crust.
The frangipane filling
Frangipane is a sweet and creamy almond-based filling. It is used to fill pastries, pies, and cakes and consists of almond flour, egg, sugar, and butter.
It was originally made by an Italian man by the name of Marquis Muzio Frangipani. Now it is most often associated with French cuisine. In this recipe, a little almond extract brings out the flavor even more but if you don’t have any you can use vanilla extract instead.
How it’s made
- If you’re making your own pastry, you’ll need a couple of hours to let it chill.
- I like to blend together the frangipane ingredients with an immersion blender to get it extra smooth.
- Thinly slice pears and sprinkle over a little lemon juice so they don’t oxidize.
- Roll out the pastry dough into a large circle and spread over the frangipane.
- Arrange the pears on top, then fold the edges of the dough over the filling.
- Brush the top of the dough with egg wash.
- Sprinkle with some coarse sugar.
- Bake until deep golden brown.
- Serve the galette warm or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream.
Storing
Any leftover galette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The thawed galette can be warmed in a low-temperature oven.
Make ahead – Make the pastry dough and the frangipane up to 3 days ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator. Freeze unbaked pastry dough for up to three months.
Pear Frangipane Galette
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie crust
- 55 g unsalted butter, softened
- 50 g almond flour
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large pears
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
Topping
- 1 egg
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
- Pastry
- Chop cold butter into small cubes.
- To a large mixing bowl or to the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix them together. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into small pieces into the flour, or use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour or pulse it a few times in the food processor. The end result should be like coarse bread crumbs with a few pea-sized butter pieces in the mix.
- Pour the lemon juice or vinegar over the dough and some of the ice-cold water. Drizzle it in slowly, about a tablespoon worth at a time.
- Pulse the food processor or use your hands to combine the dough and add in as much chilled water as needed. Add any extra water in slowly, a tablespoon at a time. It should hold together easily when pressed but not be sticky. If the dough is crumbly, add a bit more water.
- If the butter has softened or the dough is warm, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before continuing with the next step.
- Laminating
- On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough into a rough 10inch/25cm rectangle. There's no need to measure it perfectly.
- Fold the bottom ⅓ of the dough up to the middle, then fold the top ⅓ of the dough over top to make a pamphlet shape.
- Turn the dough a quarter turn, roll the dough and repeat this process once more.
- Once finished rolling, use your cupped hands to gently shape the dough into a flat disc. Wrap the dough up tightly using compostable plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap. Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Filling
- Combine the frangipane ingredients into a small bowl and use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. Alternatively use a small food processor or a hand-held mixer to mix the ingredients together until creamy.
- Core and use a mandoline or sharp knife to slice the pears into thin slices around ¼-1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the pears to stop them from browning.
- Shaping
- On a sheet of parchment paper, roll the cold dough out into a 13-inch (33cm) circle. It can be a rustic circle.
- Spread the frangipane out, leaving a 2-inch border (4-5 cm.) Arrange the pears over top of the frangipane. Fold the edges of dough over the filling, going around the edge of the circle. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the dough with egg wash.
- Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar if using. Transfer the galette to a plate or tray and refrigerate while the oven is preheated.
- Baking
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/ 220°C.
- Transfer the galette to a prepared baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake the galette for 10 minutes at this temperature, then turn the heat down to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for a further 25-30 minutes until the galette crust is deep golden brown and the pears are soft.
- If the crust is showing signs of excessive browning, you can cover the top of the galette with a piece of aluminum foil. Let the galette cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
