Impressive and easy! These are two of my favorite words and the perfect way to describe my rustic French plum galette. Juicy plums, crisp grapes, and toasted walnuts are wrapped in a flaky pastry crust and dusted with cinnamon before being baked to a deep, golden brown. Hungry yet?
Hello! I am off visiting my parents this weekend (Labor Day and all) and enjoying the fresh Berkshires air. While it still feels like summer, it’s almost time to face fall and shake off vacation dreams. *sigh*
While I am seriously looking forward to cooler weather (sweaters, fires, braises, stews!!), I have a few recipes this week which bridge the gap and give you a little more summer feeling.
First today, my plum galette, which you can enjoy starting when the plums first appear at the end of summer and right on through the winter. Then, my updated post for tomato burrata salad (get those ripe tomatoes while you can!). And, last, my blueberry mojito pitcher, which will send off summer with a blast. (Or bring it back since it’s great with frozen berries too!)
Now, before I get into the ‘how do you make it’ and tips and tricks and all that, I’m gonna tell you the two most important things I learned about rustic tarts. Ready? 🙂
- Start as you mean to go on.
- Ripe but firm is important.
In other words, don’t plan to transfer the assembled galette from the counter to parchment, from wax paper to parchment, or from the paper to a tray. This way lies badness and your galette turning out a bit more rustic than you planned. (Don’t ask how I know this. Okay…yes I did this.)
Basically, once you’ve rolled out the dough and piled in the filling that’s it. That’s how you’re baking it. I foolishly rolled on wax paper the first time I made this recipe and then realized I needed to transfer the galette to parchment (since wax paper isn’t so great in the oven). Yeah, that was a mess.
If you are careful, you may be able to slide the galette from the counter to a tray using the parchment to pull it along. But really, once you’ve rolled, just move it to the tray before you add the filling.
As for the second one? Super ripe plums are amazing and juicy. So juicy! Remember, rustic style galettes and crostatas are flat. Meaning there is no pie dish to catch all that juice. Instead it makes a mess in your oven. Yep, did that too. At least I made both mistakes in one tart! Very efficient of me.
If you have super juicy (over) ripe plums, consider a crisp or some jam or maybe a sauce. Then get some ripe but firm plums and make galette.
How to Make a Plum Galette
To make a plum galette, roll out your pastry dough into a rough circle about 14 inches across, then pile the sliced plums, grapes, and walnuts in the middle of the crust, fold over the sides and bake until golden brown.
- Make the pie dough and let it rest.
- Roll out the dough into a ~14 inch circle and chill it in the fridge.
- Toast the walnuts.
- Slice the plums and grapes.
- Toss the fruit with sugar and spices.
- Assemble the tart and bake.
- Brush with honey. Cool and serve.
Making Pie Crust and Filling
Before you make the filling, put together the pie crust and let it rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge. The crust I made for this galette is a variation on my amazing easy, flaky pie crust. If you need step by step photos, check out the post since I took a photo of each part of the process.
Once the pie crust has rested, roll it out to about 13-15 inches around. Then transfer the crust to the fridge and let it chill.
Next, preheat the oven to 375F.
When you are ready to make the filling, measure out the amount of plums and grapes you will need. Slice the plums into wedges and cut the grapes in half. Toss the fruit with sugar, rum, and cornstarch.
Chop up the walnuts and let them toast in the hot oven.
Assembling and Baking the Plum Galette
Now that you have all the parts ready, it’s time to assemble the galette.
Pull out the crust from the fridge. Next to it, set out the prepared fruit and toasted walnuts. Then make an egg wash of egg and water and get a pastry brush. Finally, mix a little sugar with cinnamon in a bowl.
Pile the fruit into the center of the crust, leaving a few inches all around. Sprinkle the walnuts over. Fold up the sides of the crust so that they overlap and seal around the fruit.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and then sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar. Bake the galette for about 45 minutes. It will be golden brown and the fruit will be bubbly.
While the galette is still warm, brush the fruit and pastry with a little honey. Let cool and cut into wedges.
Tip: From my photos, you can see that I have transferred the rolled crust to a round baking tray (you can see the lip of the tray lifting the sides of the crust and parchment) before adding the fruit. This way you don’t need to shift or move the assembled galette except by tray. Much safer this way.
There you have it! Lots of words for something which is super forgiving. The only scary part is the crust, and my recipe takes all the scare out of it! Also, I made all the galette mistakes already and can tell you what not to do.
More Ideas for Rustic Tarts
If you’re thinking: ‘does she have any more yummy, rustic tarts, crostatas, and galettes?’ you are in luck! I have two savory tarts, a goat cheese and heirloom tomato galette and a summer squash and ricotta crostata. Both of these make great use of summer produce and let it shine!
I also have a strawberry ricotta crostata which is beautiful with ripe strawberries and, if you’re really not into making your own crust, I have a puff pastry blood orange galette. The deep red of the blood oranges is so pretty in that recipe!
If you try my recipe for Plum Galette, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Plum Galette with Grapes and Walnuts
Ingredients
Pastry Crust
- 1 1/2 cups (6 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange zest, optional
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tbsp pieces
- 3-4 tbsp cold water
Galette Filling
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 lb (4-5 medium/large) ripe but firm plums, about 2 1/2 cups when sliced
- 1/2 lb green grapes
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- ----------------
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ----------------
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Pastry Crust
- I have made this crust according to the same directions as my easy, flaky pie crust recipe. If you need more detail and images of the crust, please visit that post.
- Measure out the flour into a bowl. Transfer 2/3 of the flour to a food processor. (Leaving about 2 oz behind in the bowl.)
- Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, and zest to the processor and pulse once or twice to combine.
- Add the butter and process the butter and flour until there is no dry flour and they completely combined and starting to clump.
- Break up the clumps and add the remaining flour to the processor. Pulse a few times, until the dry flour has broken up the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl. Add the water and use a spatula to mix and fold in the water.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and form the dough into a disc. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Plum Galette
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Once the oven is hot, spread out the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until browned.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and set it on a piece of floured parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough into a rough circle about 14 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough and parchment to a baking sheet and put it all in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
- Pit and slice plums into wedges. Halve the grapes.
- Add both to a bowl along with the sugar, rum, and cornstarch. Toss to combine.
- Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough round, leaving 2-3 inches bare around the edges. Sprinkle the walnuts over.
- Fold up the edges of the dough around the filling. Pleat and pat the dough into place.
- Whisk together the egg and water. Then brush the egg wash over the crust.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the galette.
- Bake the galette for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.
- Transfer the galette and baking tray to a cooling rack.
- Bring the honey and water to a boil. Then brush the warm honey over the top of the galette, both the filling and the crust.
- Let the galette cool to room temperature, then slice into wedges and serve.
Notes
- Measuring the flour: Measure the flour by spooning the flour into the cup and then sweeping off the excess. If you dip the cup into the flour, you will have heavier cups and the ratio will be off. Or you can use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale to measure flour. It's accurate and it saves me washing measuring cups.
- Cinnamon Sugar: I always have a small container of cinnamon sugar in my pantry. So I just take a spoonful from that when I need to sprinkle it on anything.
- Plums: I used fairly large plums. With these plums I only needed 4 plums to make the filling. If you are using smaller plums, like Italian prune plums, you will need a few more. I find it helpful to weigh them on the scale at the market.
- Rum: You can skip the rum if you wish and switch it to 2 tsp vanilla extract. Or change it out to brandy or bourbon.
BitofBaconHQ Pet Corner
Today’s hero is Midnight!
While he is quite the troublemaker: scratching furniture, laying on computers, and always trying to get out*, he saved the day recently. Not to be outdone by Starbuck, Midnight caught his own mouse.
Though we did have two mice in our house recently, I think I found the entrance and we haven’t seen any more since. ~crossing fingers~ If we do, we have at least two cats on the job. (Apollo still needs to step up.)
*No out for the cats. Coyotes are out. Cats are in. 🙂
Nick says
I made this!!! Mio dio! It is amazing! I have never had a grape dessert and now I’m just dumbfounded as to why people don’t make desserts with this fruit more often. Or with plums!! It isn’t even season for these fruits right now, but I saw both in the grocery store and needed a change. I got hard plums and the grapes are quite hard. They are the huge red globe grapes. Then I got curious if people ever make a grape cobbler and somehow I ended up on your page. This gallette has such a fresh taste. The flavors of the grapes, plums, and walnuts are perfect together. I forgot to toast the walnuts or even add them at first. I had to rush to chop some up and threw them on top. Even placed some on top of the dough around the sides since it still had not crisped up. They adhered harmoniously to the dough once cooked and gave it a nice look. They still toasted perfectly. They don’t even fall off when the pieces are cut. Don’t forget the walnuts!! They are so awesome in this! Brushing the hot honey water across the top was a great touch that brought it up to perfection and made it as good as a professional bakery. Truly a perfect gallette! Great job and thank you so much for posting a great recipe that actually works! I live in Italy and this is definitely a top notch recipe.
Nick says
I’d just like to mention that I think if you used anything softer than really firm plums and really firm grapes then you’ll probably need more than 2 tbsp of starch. Mine came out perfect, but I can see if they were soft and juicy there might be some moisture. My grapes were hard for me to wedge my fingers into to pull apart and the plums hard with only a TINY bit of give when pressed. When cooked they are perfectly soft and flavorful so don’t worry. Do add more more starch for the ripe ones though. Hope this helps.
Debra says
Thank you for the awesome tips and tricks. I’ve never been able to make a galette that looks as professional as yours. I think I’ve made every error you speak of in the past! I’m going to give this a try, keeping all your tips in mind….especially the one about too ripe plums belonging in a crisp or pie and the one about not transferring. Thanks.
Dana says
Galettes are always so rustic and gorgeous, and this one is no exception. I love that you’ve used plums. I’ve only ever eaten plums as they come, and I’m thinking I need to get more creative with them—in the form of this galette!
Also, gorgeous kitty! Glad you’ve kept them safe from the coyotes. I could never let me cat out—I’d be in a constant fit of anxiety. Even though so many outdoor cats I know are nimble and have lived long, healthy, happy lives. They really must have nine!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I don’t bake with plums much, but whenever I do I’m so happy with the results that I know I need to do it more.
Midnight thanks you for the compliment, Dana. (Though he has no lack of ego, he does like when people notice how pretty he is. 🙂 ) And when I hear the coyotes yipping in the night almost every night, never mind watching them cross the street during the day, I know there is no way my kitties are going out.
Sues says
Haha I laughed at how efficient you were making both mistakes in one galette… Definitely something to be happy about! And this one looks seriously perfect, so clearly you learned your lessons! I absolutely love plums and definitely want to try this while plums are still in season!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I am nothing if not efficient, Sues! Happily it was also a tasty mess, so I knew I was onto something.
CArmy says
I think I’m going to pack my bags and move in! This plum galette looks AMAZING! I’ve been in the mood for a beautiful rustic tart for so long now but never got around to making it because it seems like a ton of work but you’ve made it look so easy! I’m totally game to make one now!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Do you clean kitchens? If so, I have a room waiting! 🙂 And thank you, Carmy. The nice thing about rustic tarts is that they don’t have to be polished. Add in my super simple pie crust and we might even be able to say as easy as pie.
Amanda says
What an absolutely gorgeous galette! I love rustic desserts like these. They always feel so cozy and comforting. I had to nod my head when I read your tip about the super ripe and juicy plums. I made a galette a few summers ago with peaches that were probably quite ready to become anything but a galette, and well, there was a bit of a mess in my oven. 🙂 Once you clean up that mistake, you never make it again, haha.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks, Amanda! And, yes, it’s mistake you only make once. The mess, the burnt smell, and cleaning the oven all make sure you don’t forget. 😉
Marisa Franca says
Rustic desserts are my favorite. They remind me of scarred wooden tables in a warm Italian kitchen. Plum and grape desserts are quite popular in Italy. I’ll certainly be saving this recipe to make during the holidays.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Yes, they feel homey to me too, Marisa! And putting plums and grapes just seemed to make sense since they ripen together too. 🙂
Lisa says
One glance at this plum tart and I was salivating like Pavlov’s dog. Seriously. What a beautiful blend of flavors and textures. Galettes like this are the best of all worlds with a flaky crust, oozy fruit filling and that crunch of nuts. Great tips on the parchment paper and plum ripeness — though I always keep a jar of Instant ClearJel on hand for those fruit desserts that need a bit of help to prevent leaking across the pan. If you’ve never tried it, get a jar — it’s a game-changer. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you, Lisa! And I’ll have to try ClearJel myself. I have several different thickeners on hand, but not that one.
Gloria says
LOVE LOVE LOVE this rustic dessert. So simple, and SOOOO delicious. Food does not have to be fancy. This is my kind of dessert….especially when I am entertaining.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Gloria, this is a great recipe for entertaining. 🙂