Description
A rustic free-form galette filled with spiced poached pears, toasted walnuts, and golden raisins, drizzled with honey, and baked in a flaky cornmeal crust. This dessert blends cozy autumn flavors with an elegant yet unfussy presentation.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 3 tablespoons sour cream (or low-fat yogurt/buttermilk)
- ⅓ cup ice-cold water (plus extra for finishing sugar)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6–8 pieces
- For the simple syrup and pears:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2–3 slices fresh ginger root
- Several slices lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 firm Bartlett pears, cored, peeled, halved
- ¼ cup walnut halves, toasted
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 2–3 tablespoons mild honey
- For assembly:
- Coarse sugar (raw or Demerara)
Instructions
- Whisk sour cream and ice water in a bowl.
- In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse to coarse crumbs.
- With motor running, pour in sour cream mixture until dough forms. Divide into two disks, wrap, and chill at least 2 hours.
- In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, vinegar, wine, ginger, lemon, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, add pears, and cook 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
- On floured parchment, roll each dough disk into a 12-inch round.
- Slice pears ¼-inch thick. Mound in center of dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins. Drizzle with honey.
- Fold dough edges inward over filling. Brush crust with cold water, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Transfer galettes (on parchment) to baking sheet. Bake 20–25 minutes until golden.
- Cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve.
Notes
- Swap pears with Bosc or Anjou if desired.
- Use pecans or hazelnuts instead of walnuts.
- Replace honey with maple syrup for a twist.
- Add nutmeg or cardamom for extra spice.
- Brush baked galette with apricot jam for gloss.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche.
- Store leftovers at room temp for 1 day or refrigerated for 2–3 days; reheat in oven to restore crispness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 wedge (1/12 of recipe)
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
