This rustic galette will be a great addition to your baking repertoire. The dough can be made and kept in the freezer and you can use switch it up with peaches, nectarines, apples and/or pears.Goodbye Summer! Hello Fall!

Fall is officially here and nothing says Fall better than plums. At least at the beginning. Then I move on to apples and butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. Despite living in California for over a decade, I still think of many things in the context of Poland. So, plums for me mean September, back to school ( schools usually start Sep. 1st), cold nights and rain. And occasionally, a warm, beautiful day with red and golden leaves falling off of the trees as you walk by.

I don’t recall as many plum varieties growing in Poland as there are here. One of the kinds that grows both here and Poland is the Italian Plum. It is a much smaller fruit with very dark blue/purple skin. It is available for only a short period of time, around now. What’s kind of funny is that in Poland the Italian Plums are called a Hungarian Plums. They are very flavorful and great for making jams, pies and chutneys. My Grandmother still makes the best “knedle” or plum dumplings.This Plum Galette is a great one to make. This recipe is very universal and can be used with every stone fruit, as well as with apples and pears. There are two kinds of stone fruit: one with a bigger pit that’s hard to remove and a second kind with a smaller “loose” pit. The second kind is often called “free stone” and works best  when sliced peaches, plums or nectarines are needed.

Galette is a free form dessert, meaning you don’t need any pie dish or tart pan to bake it. You roll the dough into a circle, about 12 inches wide, then place the sliced fruit in the middle leaving about a 2 inch border. Fold the border over the fruit making small folds as you go. Brush the folded dough with egg yolk/water mixture, sprinkle some turbinado sugar, chill for 30 minutes and bake on a baking sheet. The more rustic it looks the better!

To make the Pate Sucree or Tart Dough start by cutting the butter into small cubes and placing them into the fridge until you need to add them into the food processor. Also, make sure you have some icy cold water available. When you are ready, place the flour, sugar and salt into the food processor and combine. Next, add the chilled butter and pulse 6-8 times until it resembles a coarse meal. Slowly add the egg yolk and cold water and pulse 3-4 times. If the dough is too dry add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Place the dough onto a plastic wrap and form a flattened disc. Wrap well and chill in the fridge for about 1 hr or 30 minutes in the freezer. While the dough is chilling, prepare the fruit. Slice the plums, removing the pits. Place in a medium bowl and add honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, fresh thyme and flour. Stir well and set aside.

Next, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes (more time might be needed if the dough was in the freezer). Place the dough on a surface sprinkled with flour and a bit of turbinado sugar and roll it out to about a 12 inch circle. It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle since you are going for the rustic look. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet (roll it back onto a rolling pin if it’s easier that way).Place the prepared fruit in the middle of the dough leaving about a 2 inch border.Fold the dough over the plums making small pockets when going around. Brush some egg yolk/water mixture on the dough and sprinkle more turbinado sugar.Chill the galette for 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until golden and juices are bubbling. Cool on a wire rack before serving.Makes: 8 servings         Prep time: 30 minutes           Ready in: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Pate Sucree:

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 2-3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 egg yolk
• 2-3 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling
• 1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon of water for brushing the dough

Plum filling:

• 6-7 plums (1.5 lbs), pits discarded, plums sliced
• 2-3 tablespoons honey (or brown sugar)- use less if the fruit is very sweet
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (half a lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Pate Sucree: in a bowl or food processor add flour, sugar, salt. Pulse 2-3 times to mix it all together. Add the cubed butter and pulse it 6-8 times (it should resemble a coarse meal and still have some bigger pieces of butter visible). Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of icy water. Process 2-3 times. If the dough appears too dry add another tablespoon of water.
   
2. Place the Pate Sucree on a plastic wrap and turn it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc. Wrap well and place into a fridge for 1 hr.
3. Plum Filling: combine sliced plums, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, fresh thyme and flour. Stir well.
4. After an hour, take the dough out from the fridge and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. On a surface sprinkled with flour and turbinado sugar, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle.
5. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet and place the filling in the center, leaving about a 2-inch border.
6. Fold the dough over the plums and make a small folds as you go around. Brush the egg yolk/water mixture on the dough and sprinkle with some more turbinado sugar.
7. Place the cubed butter on top of the fruit and chill the galette for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the galette in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Cool it down and serve.

Enjoy!