I'm ba-a-ack! I wish I could tell you I was on some exciting travel adventure over the last several weeks or that I had won the lottery and was deciding what I would do with the rest of my life. But I can't tell you either of those things. I did however, find a couple of 'lucky' pennies. And as for travel, well those plans are still up in the air at the moment. Between missing the east coast, the mountains out west, as well as longing to see new places with interesting landscapes, it feels like forever since I was spending my days outdoors taking endless photos of the all the beauty nature has to offer. I am not certain how long this temporary 'where to travel' decision making paralysis will last. At the moment all of my energies are focused on the 13.1 mile half-marathon I am running this weekend. And believe me when I say all of my energies. Will fill you all in on all of the exciting details of the race sometime next week. Just say a prayer I won't be running in the forecasted rain the entire time. Dripping wet isn't my best look.
We are less than a week away from the official meteorological start to autumn. Yippee! The season of less humid weather, cooler nights, brilliant red, orange, and yellow landscapes, my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving), the World Series, caramel making days, and an abundance of apples and pears at the Farmer's markets. As much as I love fruit crisps and tarts, I equally love galettes. From their slightly rustic in appearance look, to their almost effortlessness, to their deliciousness, crisps, tarts, and galettes definitely make the most of the fruits of the season. And for me, they are much easier to make than a pie.
The minute I saw the recipe for this Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette in the fall issue of Bake From Scratch, I couldn't wait to make it. I was especially intrigued by the use of goat cheese in both the crust and in the filling. For those of you who winced at reading the words 'goat cheese' used as in ingredient in a dessert, I would only ask you reserve judgment until you have tasted this delightful flavorful galette. If I didn't tell you there was (a mild) goat cheese in it, your palate might never be able to guess correctly. you would definitely detect something, but goat cheese wouldn't be on your list of guesses. You would, on the other hand, wonder what made every element of this dessert so insanely scrumptious.
I happen to love goat cheese. Only I had never used it in a crust before. Next to a shortbread crust, it may be my newest favorite. Using a high quality European butter along with the goat cheese created one of the best pre-baked and baked textured crusts I have ever made. Scouts honor! Once the dough came together in the food processor, I felt as if I could have immediately rolled it out. Instead I formed the dough into a disk, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and chilled it the refrigerator for thirty minutes. Whether it was the dough's ingredients or the chilling time or both this dough rolled out beautifully. Notes: The recipe called for 2 cups or 250 grams of all-purpose flour. Because I generally use a 130 grams to 1 cup of flour ratio, I followed that rule when making the dough.
There are essentially three components to this Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette. The dough, the pears, and the honeyed goat cheese filling. The filling is made with a good quality honey, goat cheese, brown sugar, kosher salt, and some freshly grated nutmeg. Mixed together using a hand mixer, the filling has the most luscious, creamy texture. I could have easily just eaten it out of the bowl. Note: It wasn't called for, but I added a generous pinch of kosher salt to the filling as I think salt helps to elevate the flavors of all of the ingredients.
So let's talk about the pears for a moment. Pears fall into two general categories: those that hold their shape and those that fall apart. For this galette you want a pear with the ability to hold its' shape. Bosc pears are known for having a wonderful sweet-delicate flavor as well as being able to hold its' shape during the baking process. Anjou pears have a milder flavor, but also hold up well in baking. Regardless of which pear you use (I used Bosc), choose ones that aren't too ripe and still have some firmness to them. However, don't choose a really hard pear as it will not break down enough during the baking process.
After the pears are cut in half lengthwise (or vertically), use a melon baller or spoon to cut out the core (and seeds). Place the scooped out pear halves face down on a cutting board, then cut into thin, as even as possible slices. This will enable you fan the slices of the pear out when you arrange them on top of the filling. Note: The recipe called for 3 medium sized Bosc Pears. My pears were slightly smaller than medium so I ended up using 3 1/2 pears. In other words, buy four pears. If you have any leftover, you have a great fruit snack.
I had enough extra dough to cut out some leaves using one of my antique cookie cutters. The Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette could be just as beautiful without adding any autumnal dough decorations to it. There is beauty in both a rustic as well as refined rustic look to this galette. An egg wash (I like using whipping cream instead of water) and sprinkling of sanding (instead of granulated) sugar are the finishing touches before the galette goes into a preheated 425 degree (F) oven. Baking time ranges from 25 to 35 minutes (my baking time was closer to 35 minutes).
After the galette rests on the baking sheet for ten minutes, it's ready to serve. You can drizzle some additional honey over the top and/or top with some springs of thyme or rosemary before serving if you wish. If you add these extra garnishes, add them to the individually cut slices.
Served warm or at room temperature, this Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette makes for a perfect ending to any fall dinner, as slowly savored afternoon dessert, or even for breakfast. This buttery, sweet, and slightly tangy galette is destined to be one of your favorite ways to celebrate the arrival of autumn.
Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette (very slight changes to the Pear and Honeyed Goat Cheese Galette in the fall issue of Bake From Scratch)
Serves 8
Ingredients
Dough
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed (recommend a high quality European butter)
4 ounces (115 grams) cold goat cheese
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 -2 Tablespoons ice cold water
Filling
3-4 slightly firm medium sized Bosc (or Anjou) Pears
6 ounces (175 grams) goat cheese
3 Tablespoons (63 grams) wildflower honey (see notes)
1 1/2 Tablespoons (21 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground or ground nutmeg
Egg Wash and Sugar Finish
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon whipping cream (or milk or water)
1-2 Tablespoons sanding sugar (or granulated sugar)
Directions
Dough
1. In the bowl of a large food processor add in the flour and salt. Pulse until combined.
2. Add in the cubes of cold butter and cold goat cheese. Pulse until mixture is crumbly in texture.
3. Add the apple cider vinegar. Pulse until combined.
4. Add in the ice cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together in a ball. Note: I used 1 1/2 Tablespoons of water.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Note: If dough is made several hours ahead of rolling out, may need to remove from the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before rolling out.
Filling:
1. In a medium sized bowl, add in goat cheese, honey, brown sugar, kosher salt, and nutmeg. Using a hand mixer, beat until mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Cut pears in half. Scoop out the core/seeds of each half using a melon baller or spoon. Place pears cut side down on a cutting board and cut into thin, even as possible slices.
Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and whipping cream. Set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 14 inch circle, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
4. Transfer the rolled out dough to baking sheet.
5. Spread the honeyed goat cheese mixture onto the dough leaving a 2 inch border.
6. Fan pear halves on top of the honeyed goat cheese mixture, overlapping slightly.
7. Fold edges of the dough over the pears.
8. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
9. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until crust is golden and bottom is browned. Let galette rest on baking pan for 10 minutes.
10. Drizzle slices of the galette with honey (optional) or top with springs of rosemary and/or thyme (optional).
11. Serve galette warm or at room temperature.
Notes: (1) I used Kerrygold unsalted butter in the dough. (2) I used a wildflower honey from Savannah Bee Company. Use a floral or clover honey. (3) If honey goat cheese mixture is made ahead, cover and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.
