Pear Galette

This year I finally find myself with some pears!  For years the pear tree we had below the house refused to bear fruit in spite of the fact that an Asian pear, which can be a pollinator, was right beside it.  A couple of years ago we bought a couple of new pear trees - a Bartlett and a Commice.  And this year, we have fruit on the Bartlett.  More than I can deal with actually, because while I enjoy a fresh pear, my husband doesn't.  And I have more than I can eat fresh!  So what to do?

Pear Galette to the rescue!  Recipe at the bottom of the post.

The first thing I did was make the pastry and put it in the fridge to rest.  I set the oven to 425F and started to make the filling.  The recipe calls for 3 pears, but mine are small, so I used 4, which I sliced thin.

These were tossed with lemon juice, then a mixture of cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon.  By now the oven was ready.

 I pulled out the pastry, rolled it to a 9" round and placed it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Then I piled the pears in the centre leaving a 2" border.  The edges were folded up over the edge of the pears and the whole thing popped in the oven.

When the galette was baked, I glazed it with honey mixed with a little water.  It's sitting on the counter giving off a delicious aroma while we wait for it to cool. And I might have enough pears left to make another one in a day or two!

ps:  it's delicious!

Pear Galette

Pastry:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp buttermilk
3 Tbsp ice water

Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the butter and cut in the flour mixture with a pastry blender until you get a coarse, pebbly texture.  Using a fork, gradually add the liquid and form into a ball.  Pat the dough into a 4" round, wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling:
3 medium pears
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Peel, core and slice the pears to 1/4" slices.  Mix with lemon juice.  In a measuring cup mix together the cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over the pears and gently mix to coat.

Assembling the galette:
Roll the pastry out to about a 9" round and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Mound the pears in the centre and fold the edges of the pastry over the filling.  Bake at 425F for 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350F and bake a further 40 minutes until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown.  Glaze with 1 tsp of honey mixed with 1/4 tsp of boiled water.