Rum spiced, clove spiked, plum & thyme galette
Before I truly appreciated galettes for what they were, I used them as a way to disguise my subpar pastry dough rolling skills. By neatly folding up the rugged edges of the pastry around the filling, no-one would know I can’t roll pastry into a perfect circle. Ah, low maintenance pastry. Who’d have thunk it?
It turns out, however, that this low maintenance freeform crusty tart (what did you call me?!) has a known and respected method and name: the humble Galette.
In my quest to further respect the humble galette, I practiced.
Refine, rehearse, repeat. Many galettes were made. So many. Savoury mini galettes were baked for my kitchen manager, throwing any form of discreteness out of the window to show motivation for a promotion within the kitchen ranks. My friends got tarts and galettes delivered to their doors. I lived, breathed, spoke galette.
Thankfully, over time I became a little more confident. My galettes became a little more crispy. A little more flaky. No more soggy bottoms. I was even pleased that my cold hands - the result of my poor circulation - meant I could handle pastry dough more efficiently. After a year of burnt tongues, burnt edges and galette rebuffings, I was finally working in the pastry section.
A golden thread has always spun it’s way through my cooking; whatever the finished product, I want it to stimulate your eyes just as much as I want it to surprise your tongue. This is a showstopper galette. It demands a centerpiece.
Depth from thyme and clove, tart and tang from seasonal plums and lemon zest, sweetness from coconut sugar and a naughty wink from rum: all flavour bases are covered. Paired with the rustic nuttiness of spelt flour, your tastebuds will literally fly off of your tongue. I like to serve it with a choice of the following three on the table; madagascan vanilla ice cream, creme fraiche or simply the classic can of whipped cream. It really depends on your individual taste. If you’re having a cruelty free Christmas this year, all of the above can be swapped with vegan alternatives.
I’ve divided the ingredients list into two parts. When undertaking the quest of baking the humble galette, you’ll need to make the dough at a different time to the filling.
Ingredients
For the crust:
● 170g all purpose flour
● 170g spelt flour
● 1teaspoon salt
● ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
● 225g vegan butter, cubed
● 6-8 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
● 5-7 prune or damson plums, halved and then thinly sliced
● 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar (caster sugar is also fine)
● Zest of 1 lemon
● 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
● 1 tablespoon of rum (ideally Kraken Black Spiced. But a rich, strong rum will do). ● 1/3 teaspoon of clove powder
● 3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
Method:
1. Make the dough first. Whisk the flours, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl. 2. Meanwhile, cut the butter into cubes about the size of your thumbprint and place into a bowl. In a glass, measure out 6-8 tablespoons of water and add 3 ice cubes. 3. Toss the butter cubes into the flour mixture and then use the palms of your hands to squeeze the floury cubes of butter together so that they become flat. You don’t want the butter to melt at this point, so work quickly.
4. Make a well in the middle of the flour and butter mixture and add in around 5 tablespoons of the ice water. Use a knife or a wooden spoon to gently stir the flour and water until JUST combined. If it feels or looks dry, add another tablespoon of water.
Don’t overwork the dough. It should stick together if you pick it up and give it a gentle squeeze.
5. Press the dough into a *non perfect* ball. Place the dough ball into the fridge and chill it for at least 1 hour. This is so that the butter chills again. Melted, warm butter at this point equals less crispy crust.
Whilst the dough is chilling, make the filling:
6. Cut the plums in half and place them face down on your chopping board. You want to get 10 wedges per plum, so cut 5 wedges out of each semi circle.
7. Toss the plum wedges in a bowl with the rum, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, clove powder and fresh thyme.
8. Turn on the oven to 200℃. Let the fruit, sugar, juice, herbs, spices and rum macerate together whilst you wait for the oven to heat up.
9. Once the oven is at 200℃, take the dough from the fridge and pile it onto a floured surface.
10. Roll the dough into a non perfect circle, 0.6cm thick.
11. Arrange the plum wedges in a spiral from the outside in, leaving about 1.5 inches between the edge of the dough and the fruit.
12. Fold the edges of the pastry over the fruit. You can be as rustic or as neat as you like here, as long as the fruit gets tucked in nicely.
13. Brush the pastry crust with non-dairy milk and sprinkle sugar over the top of the crust. 14. Bake the galette on a baking parchment sheet for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is a deep, golden honey color with a little crisp around the edge. When you tap the galette, it should be as stiff and sturdy as the upper lip of a British gentleman in his seventies.
If you’re making this ahead of dinner, ensure it’s given 3-4 hours to cool down before you proudly set it on the table. If it’s fresh out the oven, give it at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavours integrate better this way.
Make this recipe enough times to become a galette master. You’ll be able to confidently galette any food. Leftover fruit and veg in the fridge? Galette. Allotment overwhelming you with produce? Galette. Neighbour’s apple tree in full bounty? Galette. Yes, it’s a verb now. Welcome to the cult.
Finally, whilst we can’t experience our usual Christmas traditions this year, take comfort in the connection your dining room table brings, regardless of how many people are sat there. Put your phones on silent and look each other in the eyes. We’ve been through a historical year together; make sure you’re present with each other.
May your stomachs be full and your bottoms be sturdy,
Anna Willis
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-willis-0661a7157/