With a flaky, buttery crust folded over juicy plums, this rustic plum galette makes a lovely summer dessert.
Whether you call it a rustic plum tart (American), a plum galette (French), or a plum crostata (Italian), you’re going to love this gorgeous summer dessert. With a crackly pastry crust folded over a filling of luscious purple plums, it’s essentially a free-form pie baked on a sheet pan, and it has a deliciously high crust-to-fruit ratio. If you’re intimidated by making your own crust, don’t be! My all-butter tart crust is easy to make, very forgiving, and comes together in less than one minute in a food processor. It makes a fabulous base for any fruit tart (see my similar French apple tart). Although, if you have crust-lovers in your house like I do, beware of late-night snackers who steal the pleated crust and leave you with only the center of the tart.
What You’ll Need To Make a Plum Galette
As you can see, the ingredients for this plum galette are very basic, which allows the flavor of the plums to shine. Don’t be tempted to load up the tart with extra plums; stone fruits give off a ton of juice, which can leak from the tart and make a mess of the crust and your pan. The purpose of the almonds is twofold: they add flavor and also help absorb some of those plum juices.
How To Make A Plum Galette
Step 1: Chop the Almonds
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the almonds until finely chopped, about 1 minute. Transfer the almonds to a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Galette Dough
To the bowl of the food processor (no need to clean it), add the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine, then add the cold butter.
Process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds.
Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and process until just moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead the dough a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball, then pat the dough into a disk.
Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the plums (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
Step 3: Prep the Plums & Assemble the Galette
Cut the plums into 1/4-in-thick slices; set aside. Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 13-in circle about 1/8-in thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged.
Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the dough will run up the lip of the sheet slightly.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the pastry, leaving a 1-in border. Sprinkle the chopped almonds evenly over the flour, followed by 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar.
Arrange the plum slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within about 2-1/2 in of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect; it doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm.
Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the plums. Fold the edges of the dough over the plums in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge. Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top of the crust. Chill the assembled galette in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 5: Bake
While the galette chills, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the center position. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the plums are tender and the crust is golden brown. (It’s okay if some of the juices leak from the tart onto the pan. The juices will burn on the pan but the galette should be fine – just scrape any burnt bits away from the galette once it’s baked.) Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool. While the galette cools, make the optional glaze. Place the apricot jam in a small, microwave-safe bowl and microwave until bubbling, 10 to 20 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the plums with the jam until glistening.
Use two large spatulas to transfer the galette to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The galette is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep nicely, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
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Per serving (8 servings) Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 399 Fat: 21 g Saturated fat: 11 g Carbohydrates: 50 g Sugar: 27 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 5 g Sodium: 158 mg Cholesterol: 66 mg
My notes: Red plums are the best for this. Plus, they are the color of a sunset. I always use four, cause why not. I don’t use as much sugar on the layer over the almonds, or over the plums. I usually measure out the recipe amount, and then stop when it feels like enough. Maybe ⅔ – 3/4 what is called for. I grate some dried tonka bean over the almond layer. I think this is what REALLY punches the recipe up to the next level, and creates some truly beautiful complexity. (For the uninitiated, tonka beans have a vanilla-ish flavor, but deeper) Rate the recipe: 5 stars means you loved it, 1 star means you really disliked it Your name * Your email (will not be published) * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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