Blackberry Triology: Part 3, Blackberry and Plum Galette

Part of the EpicCuriousLife Blackberry Trilogy: a trio of simple and delicious blackberry recipes!

Some of my inspirations come from travel, the seasonal produce at Farmer’s Markets, dining out, or my own urban farm and garden. In the summer, there is no limit for inspiration as the stone fruits and berries are plentiful – sometimes so much so that you run our things to do with them! Fear not...!

Just this week, my friend, Millie, and I picked blackberries at the Russian River in Guerneville, CA. With hands stained from the berry juices and a few scratches from the bushes along the way, we were grateful for our buckets of blackberries full of sweet sunshine-kissed flavor and deep jewel colors we came back with! We had so many blackberries that I not only have one recipe, but a TRIO of recipes to share which I have lovingly called “Blackberry Trilogy”! All three recipes can be found on our website.

For the last inspiration of our trilogy, I wanted to use the plums harvested from our garden. The sweet and tart combinations from the plums and blackberries were complementary and the hint of sugar bejeweling the crust is a wonderful balance.

Those who know me know my husband, Bernard, who is originally from France. What can I say – there is a lot to love about France – not just my husband, the language, the food, the wine, oh my! But now I’m getting distracted…I guess what I’m trying to share is that I have a lot of inspiration from France – and a galette is one of them!

What’s a galette? A galette refers to a rustic, free-form tart that is made with a single crust of pastry. Galette is a French term and Crostata is an Italian term – you will find them used interchangeably. One thing IS the same: light, buttery, delicious yumminess to cradle whatever you fill it with!

The foundation of any galette, be it sweet or savory, is your crust and this is made using a pâte brisée (pronounced paht-bree-zay). I’ve tried multiple recipes and have adjusted the recipes that Martha Stewart and Bon Appetit have used. This easy pie crust is easy, flexible, and does not disappoint.

Let’s get baking!

What you will need for the pâte brisée:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2” pieces

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

• Food Processor

What you will need for the filling:

• 1 cup fresh blackberries

• 2-3 cups plums, pitted and sliced into 3/4” thick

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch (or tapioca starch)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 beaten egg

• 2 Tablespoons raw sugar (enough for sprinkling on the crust)

To make the pâte brisée:

• Combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, cover and pulse 3 times to combine.

• Add the chilled butter and pulse about 10 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse. If you are doing this by hand, combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender.

• With food processor running, add ice water through feed tube a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. You will know your dough is ready if you take a small amount of dough together, and squeeze; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

• Turn out dough onto a clean work surface (do not knead). Divide the dough ball in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight before using. This dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; and thawed overnight in the refrigerator before using.

• This makes enough dough for 2 galettes. You can freeze the second dough if not making an additional galette.

To make the filling:

• Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

• Roll out crust to a 12” circle (this doesn’t have to be a perfect circle, this is a rustic crust), and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

• In a medium-sized bowl combine the sugar, corn starch and vanilla and stir to combine.

• Add the fruit and toss until all the fruit is coated with the sugar mixture. This will allow the fruit to macerate (or release its juices). Let fruit mixture sit for about 20 minutes, stirring it 2-3 times.

• A few minutes before the fruit mixture is ready, remove the crust out of the refrigerator and place on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The rimmed baking sheet will catch any juices that run from the galette – and the parchment paper makes for easy clean up and no sticking to the baking sheet.

• When the fruit mixture is ready, using a slotted spoon, transfer the fruit into the center of the crust leaving a 2” border. Any of the remaining fruit juice in the bowl can be drizzled on top of the fruit.

• Lightly brush the inside crust border with egg, then fold the corners of the crust in and over the fruit. If the folds do not stick together, you can use a little egg to seal them down.

• Lightly brush the outside of the crust with egg and sprinkle with the crust with raw sugar.

• Bake at 375F for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbly.

Serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature.

Enough…Said…Enjoy!