- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 225 g. Fluff, scoop, level.
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 12 g
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter 113 g. cubed.
- 4-5 Tbsp ice water 60-75 ml
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter 55 g. Room temperature.
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 55 g
- 1/2 scant cup almond flour 55 g. Blanched, finely ground.
- 1 large egg Room temperature.
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 lbs Italian prune plums 900 g. About 20 plums.
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 130 g. For macerating.
- 1 tsp lemon juice 5 ml
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch 16 g
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 25 g. For sprinkling over the plums.
- 1 large egg Beaten with 1 tsp water, for the egg wash.
- 1 Tbsp coarse sugar 12 g. Turbinado or demerara.
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar 8 g. For dusting, optional.
-
The galette dough needs to be chilled for at least an hour, and the plums need an hour in the sugar to draw out the juices. The baked galette also needs about an hour to two of cooling to settle the juices. Plan accordingly.
-
Cut in the butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp fine sea salt. Add 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter and pulse it in a food processor, or cut it in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces of butter still visible.
Those visible butter pieces are what make the crust flaky
, so there is no need to work them in all the way.
-
Add the water and roll
Sprinkle in 4-5 Tbsp ice water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when you squeeze a handful. Pat it into a disk, wrap it, and refrigerate 1 hour.
-
Sugar the plums to draw out juices.
Halve and pit 2 lbs Italian prune plums, leaving the halves whole. Toss with 1/2 scant cup almond flour and 1 tsp lemon juice, and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour to draw out the juices and prevent the tart from getting soggy.
Italian plums taste sweet raw and turn tart in the oven
, which is why the sugar runs higher here than it looks like it should.
-
Make the almond cream.
Beat 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/2 tsp almond extract on medium speed until combined, then on high for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
-
Heat the oven. Set a heavy baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat to 425°F. The hot sheet sets the bottom crust before the plum juices have a chance to soak in.
-
Drain and coat the plums.
Tip the plums into a colander set over a bowl and let them drain, then blot the halves dry with a paper towel and toss them with 2 Tbsp cornstarch.
Set aside the drained juice. We will thicken it into a syrup later.
-
Roll out the dough.
Roll the chilled dough into a rough 14-inch circle between two pieces of parchment or on a floured surface. If it's too firm at first, whack it with the rolling pin several times across the dough to soften it and make it easeir to roll.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper that's larger than the dough by about 1-inch. Settle the dough and parchment together into a 9 or 10 inch baking pan, letting both overhang the sides.
-
Spread and fill.
Spread the prepared almond cream over the center of the dough in an even layer, leaving a 3-inch border all around. Stand the plum halves on their sides and set them into the cream in a spiral, working from the outside edge in. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp granulated sugar over the plums.
-
Fold and finish the edge.
Fold the border up over the outer ring of plums in 7 or 8 overlapping pleats, pinching each fold closed. Brush the crust with the egg wash (1 large egg), sprinkle it with 1 Tbsp coarse sugar.
-
Bake at 425F, then 375 °F
Set the dish on the preheated sheet and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 375°F and bake 35 to 40 minutes more, until the crust is deep and the juices boil in the center of the tart.
-
Reduce the juice for the glaze.
Simmer the drained plum juice in a small saucepan until it is thick and syrupy, about 2 to 3 Tbsp worth. Set it aside to brush over the baked galette.
-
Cool, then glaze.
Cool the galette on a rack for at least 1 1/2 hours. The juices set as it cools, so a fully cooled galette slices clean. Brush the reduced plum syrup over the fruit and dust with powdered sugar (1 Tbsp powdered sugar) just before serving.
-
Serve with some ice cream or sweetened whip cream if desired.
Plum choice: Italian prune plums, sometimes sold as Italian prunes or sugar plums, hold their shape best. Firm ones give off less juice than very soft ones. Regular black or red plums, pluots, apricots and peaches all work, though juicier fruit may need an extra teaspoon of cornstarch.
Do not skip the maceration: The hour of sugaring and draining pulls out most of the liquid before the galette ever goes in the oven, and the drained juice comes back as the glaze, so nothing is wasted. The plum is packed with a large amount of plums (2 lb) so this step is important.
Free-form option: Bake it right on a parchment-lined baking sheet instead of a dish. A dish simply catches any juice that escapes, but you don't have to use it if you would rather not.
Make ahead: The dough keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. The almond cream keeps 3 days in the fridge; let it come to room temperature and re-whip before spreading.
Storage: Keep the galette loosely covered at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated up to 4 days. To bring the crust back, warm it 10 minutes at 350°F on a hot baking sheet.