As promised.

Sometimes when I sit down to a cup of coffee and want a sweet nibble, a cookie just isn't enough. But, something heavy and dense like a brownie won't float my boat either. A danish is too sweet. Donut, nuh uh.  And a week old scone is just infuriating. Bonjour, local bakery, it's pastry time!

I'll be honest, I'm not French. BUT, our kitchen doubles as a pâtisserie whenever I'm in the mood for a pastry. Give me an apron, the soundtrack to Beauty and the Beast, and flour and we're in business. (Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!) 

Galettes! A rustic and super forgiving pastry everyone should try. The dough is very easy to make and versatile for both savory and sweet dishes. Today, I did two sweet galettes in keeping with my coffee/tea pairings from yesterday. 

Quick tips when making a galette: Keep the butter COLD, cold, cold, and make sure you allow the pastry to rest for at least 45 min. in the refrigerator before rolling out. Allow at least a 2" edge for folding crust/keeping the filling together. Be creative! Trust me, you can fill them with ANYTHING and they'll turn out fantastic. Here are two that I played around with today:

TEA TIME BERRY GALETTE

Marbled 1 tsp of finely ground black tea into the dough.

Thin layer of white chocolate and mint ganache to hopefully prevent bottom dough sogginess. Fresh berries mixed with lemon juice and about 1 teaspoon corn starch.

Seasonal berries are always, I repeat, ALWAYS a good idea! Just toss them with a little bit of acid, whether that be lemon/lime juice or white wine. Add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce as it bakes. You can decorate with sugar crystals, berry tops, stamped edges, or use left over dough for shaped leaves or holiday shapes.

GALETTE DES CHOCOLAT

(for the "fancy" rustic pastry fans...oh, oxymoron.)

For this, I used a semisweet chocolate ganache on the bottom. For all you lamens termers, we like to call that chocolate sauce. Nothing more than equal parts melted chips and cream (use microwave or double boiler). The top layer is a chocolate custard made with milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa powder. (Drizzled ganache on top for aesthetic appeal.) Allow both to cool before you start assembling the galette.

Is "scrumpdidliumptious" descriptive enough? The texture turns out almost like a loose flan/dense mouse. I ate it warm (or piping hot/right out of the oven!) with a good cup of coffee this afternoon.

This dough vehicle really is fantastic for anything you want to put in it. For a party/entertaining it's very easy to divide up the dough into personal size galettes. Try savory versions with sliced potatoes and dill, caramelized onion and goat cheese, or even brunch-style with sliced plums/dried apricots/ and almonds.

Galette Pastry Dough

1 C. flour

1/4 C. cornmeal

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

7 tblsp. cold, cubed butter

3 tblsp. sour cream (yogurt or buttermilk can be substituted,

we're really just going for a tangy dairy product here)

1/3 C. ice water

Combine first four ingredients together, and using a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the cubed butter. You're looking for a combination of pea-sized and rice-sized bits. The smaller bits will make the dough tender and the larger sized will make it flaky. Mm! It's a good idea to whisk the sour cream and ice water before incorporating into the dry mixture. Use a spatula or your hands to bring the mixture together well enough to form a ball. Divide the dough in half, flatten into 2" discs, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 45 minutes. Roll 1/4", fill, and fold! (Egg wash optional.)

400* F for 12-15 minutes