Fall Pear Galette

For a fitting end to a hearty autumn meal, serve this free-form tart featuring pears, cheddar, and caramel. You can make the galette a day ahead, but drizzle the caramel over it just an hour or 2 before you serve it.

Yield 8 servings
Ingredients

* Galette:
* Cooking spray
* 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded aged sharp Cheddar cheese
* 5 ripe Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch slices
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
*

Caramel:
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare galette, line a jelly roll pan with foil, and coat foil with cooking spray. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle; place on baking sheet. Sprinkle crust with cheese, leaving a 1-inch border.

Combine pears, juice, and nutmeg in a large bowl; toss well. Add brown sugar and flour; toss gently. Arrange fruit on dough leaving a 2-inch border. (Pears will be piled high on dough.) Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover pears). Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned (filling may leak slightly during cooking). Cool galette on a wire rack.

To prepare caramel, heat granulated sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 4 minutes). Cook 1 minute or until golden. Remove from heat. Drizzle over galette.

Nutritional Information

Calories:292 (30% from fat)
Fat:9.7g (sat 4.3g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.1g)
Protein:4g
Carbohydrate:50g
Fiber:3g
Cholesterol:12mg
Iron:0.6mg
Sodium:146mg
Calcium:71mg

Jill Daniel, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003

Blueberry and Blackberry Galette with Cornmeal Crust

The rich, buttery pastry dough is easy and forgiving. Simply roll it out onto parchment paper with a lightly floured rolling pin, and then use the parchment to transfer it to a baking sheet. If you're lucky enough to find wild blueberries like the ones that grow in Maine, use them in this rustic summer tart.

Yield 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

* Pastry:
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 7 3/4 ounces)
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup cornmeal
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
* 1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
*

Filling:
* 4 cups blueberries
* 2 cups blackberries
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
* 1 large egg white
* 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preparation

1. To prepare pastry, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; pulse two times. Add butter to flour mixture; pulse 4 to 5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly add buttermilk through food chute; process just until dough forms a ball. Gently press dough into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Unwrap and place dough on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll dough into a 15-inch circle. Place dough and parchment on a baking sheet.

4. To prepare filling, combine berries and next 3 ingredients (through juice) in a medium bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange berry mixture in center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal (dough will only partially cover berry mixture).

5. Combine fat-free milk and egg white in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Brush dough with milk mixture; sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over dough. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes; cut into wedges.

Nutritional Information

Calories:306 (28% from fat)
Fat:9.7g (sat 5.8g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:4.3g
Carbohydrate:52.2g
Fiber:3.7g
Cholesterol:24mg
Iron:1.7mg
Sodium:138mg
Calcium:33mg

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, JULY 2008