Free Form Fruit Galette - recipe

I needed something quick and easy as a dessert to go with today's lunch and that used ingredients that we already had. This recipe comes from Sophie Gray's 'Everyday Smart Food For Your Family'.

It was really easy to make and looked great. We had it with vanilla bean ice cream which it really needed to balance the flavours out. I think I'd add a little bit of icing sugar to the pastry next time.







Free Form Fruit Galette
175g flour
80 g butter
cold water
1 egg
2 tbsp semolina (I used almond meal - ground almond)
About 700g of fruit i.e. preserved, tinned or fresh plums, peaches or apricots or a combination, intact any fruit at all (I used uncooked apple and plums and it worked well)
Sugar, approximately 1/3 cup to sprinkle and to sweeten the fruit if required.

For the pastry crust, combine flour and butter to crumb stage, either in a food processor or by hand, then add water to bring it together to smooth dough. Rest in fridge for 20 minutes before using.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Roll out the pasty to a circle approx 35cm in diameter; don't; worry about the ragged edges. Place on a greased baking sheet. Separate the egg yolk from the white, set the white aside, and paint the middle of the pastry with the beaten egg to seal it and prevent it from getting soggy, then sprinkle with semolina. The semolina will absorb some of the fruit juices during cooking and give a creamy texture, trapping in all the flavour.
Simply pile the prepared fruit in tot eh centre, leaving a border of a couple of centimetres uncovered. Sprinkle the sugar into the fruit if you think you need it. Then fold the pastry edges towards the middle but not covering the middle. the open circle in the top displays the cooked fruit.
Brush pastry with the egg white and sprinkle with sugar - the sugar caramelises during cooking, creating a rustic golden crust. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.