Easy as Pie
You might well be expecting a recipe for a standard apple pie this week, dear reader. And who could blame you? This week’s episode is all apples and lattice crust. But you’ll note that in Charlotte’s Web, the pie in question is actually a blueberry pie. And whoever said that a task was ‘easy as pie’ meant eating pie, not making it! The good news, dear reader, is that there is a delightful dessert that gives you all the flaky pastry and bursting berry goodness you could ever hope for, with a lot less hassle than a standard pie. And that dessert is galette. Just like pie, this dessert comes to us from Europe - specifically, France. It’s a delicious disk of pasty, starting out with a similar base to regular pie, but instead of all the shaping and cutting and careful placing in a pie dish, this base stays a simple circle on your baking sheet, with the scrumptious filling plonked directly in the middle of the disk, and the edges folded in with that characteristic French laissez-faire which is so chic (and so much easier to manage than a fussy pie crust!) And what of the blueberries? Well, unlike apples, blueberries are actually native to North America - so maybe we ought to say ‘as American as blueberry pie!’ If you prefer other berry types, or have other fruits in season, those will work well too: stone fruit, berries of all kinds, and yes, apples, will all play nicely in a galette. Try them all! You’ll notice that the crust here is elevated with buttermilk and cornmeal. The buttermilk lends tenderness to our crust, and cornmeal adds extra bite and flavour, creating a hearty, rustic, distinctly North American flavour: corn is also native to the Americas. If you prefer a straight-ahead pie crust flavour, use your favourite crust recipe up to the point of rolling your pastry out unbaked, then carry on to the filling. Let us turn our attention to the ingredients to get started.
Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust
1 1/4 c (156g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 c (30g) fine cornmeal
3 tbsp (38g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c or 8 tbsp (113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 c (60ml) cold buttermilk, plus more as needed
Filling
4 c (about 600g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
1/4 c (50g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (7g) cornstarch
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp (15ml) fresh lemon juice
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk
optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your own clean fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour is moistened and the dough clumps up. Mix in 1 more tablespoon of buttermilk if the dough seems dry. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 3 months).
Mix the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Stir gently until the berries are evenly moistened (no powdery lumps of cornstarch or sugar). Place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Don’t mix the filling too much ahead of time—10 to 15 minutes is fine as you roll out the dough. You do not want the blueberry filling to sit for too long, as the berries will release too much juice.
Preheat oven to 425°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle. A little rustic, a little uneven is totally fine here - preferred, even. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spoon it into the center of the dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping the dough as necessary. You will be able to see the fruit filling in the middle - this is the goal. Press gently to seal the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 28 to 32 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and feel quite free to eat the slices like pizza, with your hands. How French! Enjoy!
Jennifer