It’s been so long since I had a tan that when I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror I thought my face was dirty. I think this is what they call a “healthy glow.” 

Unfortunately my torso does not look so healthy. I am currently suffering from a fairly uncomfortable burn. I’m usually pretty good at protecting my skin, but yesterdays cool breeze and the fact that it’s September seem to have lulled me into false sense of security. So today I am hiding from the sun. 

It’s not all bad. I have time now to write this blog post, which is a very rare thing.

This is only the second galette I’ve made in my life. This first I made a little earlier the same day (you can see it in my instagram feed if you’re so inclined). I made them both as part of a pie dough experiment. I wanted to know if a higher percentage fat in butter would make a difference in the texture of a pie crust. I guess I was inspired by all the experimenting Janice does. I used the same recipe for two single crust pies, varying only the type of butter (80% fat and 84% fat). My scientific method might not have been perfect, but I found a few subtle differences that led me to prefer the 84% fat. First, the 84% seemed to roll out more easily. Second, it browned much more evenly than the 80%. And third, I found it flakier than the 80% crust. 

As I said, the differences were subtle. I wouldn’t hesitate to make a pie crust with 80% butter in the future, but if the 84% is available that would be my choice. 

The filling in this galette is inspired by Pastry Affair. I used the basic idea of almond and plum, but changed the flavouring and sweetened with honey instead of sugar. If you can get your hands on some local honey I highly recommend it. The flavour comes through after baking, which is not something I’ve found with mass produced honey. 

Pastry Crust

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (84% fat), cut into small cubes
• 3 or 4 tbs ice water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the butter. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour until it’s slightly yellow in colour with pea sized pieces. 
2. Mix the lemon juice with the ice water, then pour three tbs over the flour. Mix the dough just until it comes together, adding more water if necessary. Shape the dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. 

Plum Filling

• 1/4 cup honey
• 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1/3 cup raw almonds
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs all purpose flour (divided)
• 12-15 small Italian Plums
• 2 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters (optional)
• juice of 1 lemon
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 tsp sugar
• a handful chopped almonds (optional)

1. Make the rosemary steeped honey. Over a double boiler, heat the honey with the rosemary until the honey is quite liquidy (5 minutes). Take the honey off the heat and let cool, leaving the rosemary to infuse. 
2. Make the almond paste. In a food processor, blend the almonds, sugar, and one tbs of flour until the texture resembles course flour. Set aside
3. Pit and chop the plums into halves or quarters. In a large bowl toss the plums with the bitters, lemon juice, and salt. Remove the rosemary from the honey, then add the honey to the plums. Stir in the remaining tbs of flour.

Assembly

1. Roll out the dough into a circle approximately 14 inches in diameter. Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
2. Spread the almond mixture over the center of the circle, leaving about 2 inches uncovered. 
3. Spread the plum mixture over the almond. 
4. Fold the pastry over the filling. Using a pastry brush cover the pastry with the eggwash, then sprinkle the pastry with the tsp of sugar. Top the galette with sprig of fresh rosemary. 
5. Let rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. 
6. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Bake on a lower rack at 425 for 25 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400 and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes. 
7. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing. 

Enjoy!