Apple/pear galette

There are all sorts of reasons to love a galette. Not the least of which is that it is super easy to make and exceptionally delicious. It must have been about four years ago when I first saw a recipe in a magazine for this free-form pie/tart, and I've been making it ever since. In the summer, I use blueberries; during colder months, apples or pears.

Though the recipe works well with any of the same fruits you would use to make a pie, I will offer a word or two of caution. Because the galette is really just a rustic pie without the pan to hold it's shape or catch any of that yummy syrup that comes from mixing fruit and sugar and high temperatures, don't be surprised to find that some fruits (like really ripe pears or blueberries, for example) will cause the whole thing to ooze and bubble and spill over its edges. It's no less delicious, just not as pretty as say, an apple galette, that tends to hold its juices better.

Okay. One last thing. I use store bought pie crust. I know. I don't make my own pie crusts. Pie crusts are finicky and dependent on air temperature and all sorts of other things, and I don't have the patience for that. Besides, the Pillsbury crust is good. And I'm okay with that.

Place the crust on a sheet of parchment paper and give it a couple of hits with the rolling pin to even it out. Then slide the parchment onto a cookie sheet and set aside.

Next, peel and slice the fruit into a large bowl. I used a mix of one very ripe pear and three apples. I also tossed in a handful of raisins.

Squeeze about two tablespoons of lemon over the fruit. If you don't have one of these handy tool things, you should get one. I love it. It gets every ounce of juice out of a lemon or lime and considering I now pay $1.00 each for lemons in the grocery store, that's a very good thing.

Add about 1/2 cup of sugar. I went easy on the sugar this time. The pear was VERY ripe. Add about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, plus 2 tablespoons of flour. I'll be honest, I don't measure the spices. (If you use the red box of ready-made Pillsbury pie crust, there's a good recipe for an apple filling on the side.)

Mix well, making sure the flour and the sugar and spices are evenly distributed.

Then spoon the filling into the center of the pie crust. Make sure you have enough crust around the edge to fold up and over.

You can fold the edges neatly, or just sort of scrunch the whole thing together. I tried to be neat this time.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on it toward the end of baking time, you don't want the crust to brown too much. And, again, don't worry if the juices ooze and spread, the parchment paper should protect your pan and trust me, it's going to taste yummy no matter how it looks.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, or whip cream, or both, and if you want to get all fancy, you could drizzle a little caramel sauce over the top.