Roasted Nectarine and Cherry Galette with Orange Mascarpone Cream

This morning I literally jumped out of bed from excitement to bake today. That’s how I know I am living out my life’s purpose. Sometimes I laugh at myself because it seems so simple, but it truly fills my soul. Today I am making galettes; which are basically hand pies. Ditch the pie tin and get your rolling pin out! These really aren’t as hard to make as they look, and you can make them as small or large as you like. These are wonderful for gatherings, holidays, or if you just enjoy having some treats on hand.

Note: You will most likely have extra cherry compote on hand with this recipe. Feel free to cut the recipe in half or use the cherry compote to garnish the galettes or add into another yummy meal!

Pie Dough: Yields 6-8 galettes depending on size

• all purpose flour- 2 cups
• unsalted butter, cold & cubed- 1 cup
• salt- 1/2 tsp.
• vanilla powder or extract- 1 tsp.
• cold water- 3 tbsp.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, add the flour, butter and salt. Using your hands cut the butter into the flour. The best way to do this is to rub the butter and flour between your hands while tossing the flour at the same time. (If your forearms start getting sore, you’re doing it right). The more even your butter is cut into the flour, the better end product. The flour should feel like wet sand, with no large lumps of butter in the mixture.
2. Add in the water and vanilla slowly and mix in to form a ball.
3. Transfer dough onto a clean surface and knead for about 2 minutes. (We want to develop some gluten, but the more gluten you form in pie dough usually the tougher the crust tends to be, and we don’t want that).
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using. Overnight chilling is best if you have the time to do so.

For the Cherries:

• 1- 2 pound bag fresh cherries
• 1 cup Riesling OR whatever white wine you may have on hand.
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom

Directions:

1. De-stem & pit the cherries and place in large saucepot on medium heat. Add the wine and allow to cook for about 25 minutes on a slow boil.
2. Reduce heat and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 more minutes, and cherries have broken down slightly and created a thick syrup.
3. Allow to cool in fridge for at least 1 hour before using, stirring occasionally to encourage the cooling process.

For the Nectarines

• 4 white flesh nectarines
• 1/2 navel orange, zested & juiced

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees. Cut the nectarines in to even slices.
2. Place nectarines on a parchment lined sheet pan and roast for 5 minutes.
3. Reserve nectarines at room temperature until ready to use.

Orange Mascarpone Cream

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 navel orange, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract or powder
• 1 tbsp. honey

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl add the mascarpone, orange zest & juice and vanilla.
2. Whisk together until cream comes together. Cream should be thick and not overly runny. Hold in fridge covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Rolling out your Galette:

1. Set oven to 400 degrees.
2. Create an egg wash using 1 large egg mixed with 1 tsp. water. Set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into desired size for rolling out.
4. Take one ball of dough and roll out to about 1/8″ thick using your rolling pin. It’s okay if your dough doesn’t roll out perfectly circular, but try as much as you can to keep it relatively circular.
5. Once you have your dough rolled out, transfer it to a parchment lined sheet tray, fitting as many on the sheet tray as you can without over crowding the pan. (You may get anywhere between 1-3 crusts on one sheet pan, so use as many as you have!)
6. Lightly egg wash the top of the crust, add the cherry compote directly in the center of the crust, then top with roasted nectarine slices. Make sure to leave at least 2″ border of crust on the outer edge for the folding process.
7. Taking one side of the dough and fold it into the center. Continue this three more times around the edges, and sinch the corners with your fingers to ensure galette doesn’t open while baking.
8. Lightly egg wash the outside of the galette, and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
9. Allow galettes to cool completely before removing from sheet pan.
10. Top galettes with orange mascarpone, serve and enjoy!

The crust is SO good with the vanilla powder. If you don’t have any on hand, I really encourage you to buy some, it makes a big difference! The flaky crust has a nice crunch complimenting the cherry compote with the wine subtly coming through. Then there is a pop of acid from the nectarines with a smooth finish of the orange mascarpone cream. I had the pleasure of eating one for breakfast this morning which is slowly becoming a bad habit of mine- but no regrets!

I hope you have enjoyed this recipe. Make sure to share this recipe with a friend and let me know what you think of it. Cheers and happy baking my friends!