Plum and Pecan Frangipane Galette

Summer lingered in Madrid this year. Day temperatures did not drop below 28 C until just recently. I really missed the cool autumn weather and now that it is finally here, it's time to enjoy some comfort food. 

For the first autumnal recipe, I used a fruit that is nearing the end of its season: a variety of colorful sweet and tart plums. 

This recipe is pretty basic and it calls for a flaky buttery crust, a sweet and nutty frangipane filling and tangy colorful plums rosettes. To make things more interesting, I added a comforting touch of cardamom to the crust and spiced up the frangipane with some ginger. Moreover, instead of using almonds like it's customary with frangipane, I used pecans. 

I did not know how the mix would turn out but it was really smooth, delicious, and the spice level was just right for that extra heart-warming sensation. 

For 4 to 6 persons, you need:

 Ingredients for the crust:

• 175 pastry flour
• 100 very cold butter
• 25 g powdered sugar and 25 g vanilla sugar
• pinch of salt
• 45 ml cold vodka or kirsh (or just ice water)
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

In the food processor, mix flour, sugar and salt, pulse for few seconds to combine, add the butter and pulse again to get a sandy mixture. Slowly add the vodka; at first one tablespoon then one teaspoon at a time. Each flour has a different absorption capacity, so be careful not to get a soggy dough.

Once the dough forms a ball, drop the mixture on the working surface and just gather it. Do not over work it. Wrap it in plastic and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

For the frangipane:

• 50 g soft butter
• 50 g sugar (I used 10 g maple sugar and 40 g castor sugar. You can use brown sugar if you wish)
• 1 small egg
• 60 g ground pecans (lightly toasted)
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger

Mix the sugar and the salt with the butter, add the egg and whisk until well combined.  Add the pecans and ginger and mix well again. 

For the topping you need:

• 400 g of plums
• milk to brush the edges
• sugar to sprinkle

Assembly

Roll the dough to about 6 mm thick and 25 cm in diameter. Fold the edges to make them about a cm higher. If you don't want a free form shape, you can use a tart tin.

Spread the frangipane over the dough. You can use the whole quantity or adjust the amount to your liking. 

Arrange the plums on top of the frangipane. If you are patient enough, you can form rosettes with  sliced plums, if not, just half or quarter the plums and arrange them on top. 

Brush the edges with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C) for 25 to 30 min, or until the frangipane is almost set in the middle.

Set it aside to cool. 

Served alone or with a scoop of creme fraiche, this is a delicious galette that you will be happy to share with friends or to enjoy by yourself, especially when the weather is getting chilly.  

Vegan Strawberry Galette!

Despite all my sugary excesses I do try to make an effort to eat healthier. Recently I started adding super foods in my daily meals, like hemp seeds, cocoa nibs, and maca among others.

I´m not a vegan nor a vegetarian person, however I´m not a meat enthusiast either. Actually, I do remember, along with my siblings, asking mom to remove meat from many traditional dishes, and we were always happy with the result. Moreover, our Eastern Mediterranean diet features many scrumptious dishes that are entirely based on vegetables; that's why I have a natural penchant for vegetables, herbs and spices and could go through many days without eating a single piece of meat.

Though I won't become a vegan anytime soon, I am enjoying making vegan desserts knowing how hard it can be to give up on dairy products in baking. During the lent season, I challenged myself to have daily vegan meals and few desserts to keep me going. I was more than satisfied with the results. Vegan meals shouldn't compromise on taste but just be really healthy, comforting and delicious in equal measures.

One of my earlier vegan baking attempts was a vegan carrot cake in which I just needed to substitute the eggs with something else. However, with cakes that demand butter or for shortcrust pastry, things get a little bit trickier as butter substitutes rarely deliver in both texture and flavor. Luckily, a German shop selling premium quality coconut butter close to where I live. Now I no longer had an excuse not to make a vegan pie or galette!

Though I went with strawberries for the filling, you can use any fruit you like. It's strawberries season now and the fruits are at their prime so it was a natural choice for me.

Working with coconut butter is a new thing for me, therefore, I am confident that with time I will get better results. The dough was a bit tricky to handle, especially when cold, however, it tasted great and had the crumbly texture that I wanted.

I made two galettes, a big and a small one. I varied the fillings slightly between the two, but kept both really simple.

Now let's bake, vegan style!
For the crust you need:

• 300 g flour (I used cake flour)
• 165 g cold coconut butter 
• 30 g sugar
• ice cold kirsh, vodka or just water (about 4 to 5 tbsp)
• dash of salt

Combine all ingredients but the liquid, and process for few seconds, when you get a sandy texture start adding the liquid, one tbsp at a time, once you see the dough coming together, stop your processor. Now, line a clean working surface with cling film (or aluminum foil if you prefer), remove the dough from the food processor onto the cling film. Work the dough slightly with your hands so it comes together and shape it into a disk. 

Cover it with the cling film and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. It is better if you prepare the dough one day ahead, which is what I usually do.

The amount of water that you will add depends on the quality of the flour and the water contained in the butter. Don't be tempted to put more water as the dough might seem dry at first, but when it rests in the fridge, it comes together nicely and the butter is absorbed  by the flour.

Remove the pie dough from the fridge 20 to 25 min before you start working with it. I divided the dough into 2 parts,  With the big portion I got a 23 cm disk (6 mm thick) and with the smaller one a 15 cm disk.

For the filling: big galette

• Strawberries (the quantity depends on how you arrange them and to which thickness)
• 1 to 2 tbsp sour cherry jam
• lilac sugar (or vanilla sugar)

Spread the jam in the middle of the dough, leaving 3 cm from the edge and then arrange the strawberries. Fold the edges of the dough and sprinkle with sugar. You can brush the edges with vegan milk or cream.

        Small galette:

• strawberries
• 1 tbsp apple butter
• 1 tbsp ground almond
• cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle

Mix apple butter and almond and the spread in the middle of the dough, again leaving about 3 cm free. Arrange the strawberries, fold the edges, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake the galettes, in a preheated oven (180C) for about 20 to 25 min, or until edges are golden.

Once the galettes are cooled a bit, give them a shower of powdered sugar and serve with the ice cream of your choice, preferably vegan but a regular ice cream would do. 

Enjoy!