Gorgeous Galettes

HOW TO DO IT

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it, buttered tinfoil if you don’t.
2. Zest the citrus and extract the juice. Set aside, in separate small bowls.
3. Place the prepared fruit into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine about 1/4 cup of sugar (you may need a little more later), 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of any spice you like, and the citrus zest. If the fruit you’re using is the sort that produces juice as it bakes (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) also add about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the sugar mixture. Whisk these ingredients together, and then fold gently into the fruit. Add about 1/4 cup of citrus juice, and taste the fruit again; add a bit more sugar or citrus juice until everything tastes just right to you. Let the fruit sit quietly while you do the next steps.
4. Unfold the piecrust pastry and place it in the center of your baking sheet. Some people like to roll it out a bit thinner first, but that’s up to you.
5. Beat the egg in a small bowl.
6. Check the bowl of fruit. If juice has already started to collect in the bottom, use a slotted spoon to remove the fruit. Make a mound of fruit in the center of the pastry, leaving a border at least 2 inches wide.
7. Using a pastry brush (mine is a small paintbrush from the hardware store – works just fine), paint the top surface of the exposed pastry with the egg wash and start folding it inward, pleating as you go (the egg wash serves as glue); leave the center open, with most of the fruit exposed. When you’re done, paint the outsides of the pastry, including the sides all the way down to the bottom, with the egg wash.
8. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes, but keep a close eye out. Let the galette rest for about 10 minutes, transfer it to a pretty plate and take it to the table for oohs and aahs, then slice and serve. Ice cream or whipped cream optional.