Mixed Berry Galette

I wanted to make a nice dessert to serve to our friends who were coming for dinner. My daughter suggested a peach pie since we had fresh peaches. I've always wanted to make a galette so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I used a wonderful pastry recipe from Ina Garten and it was very quick and easy to make. After peeling the peaches, I realized they were no good - dry and rubbery...UGH. I found a package of Trader Joe's frozen mixed berries and cherries in the freezer so decided we would have a mixed berry galette. I made the mistake of letting the pastry dough sit on the counter for a few minutes before I rolled it out. It was warm and difficult to work with. I didn't give up and finally formed my galette. It wasn't the prettiest I've seen but it worked. It collapsed a bit in the oven while baking so it wasn't a perfectly formed galette but it was unbelievably tasty. I served it with fresh whipped cream and we all (seven of us) gobbled it up. It was sweet and tart with an incredibly flaky crust. This is now my very favorite dessert.

Pastry Dough:

• 1 cup of flour
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick of butter
• 3 tbsp of ice cold water

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly (and carefully!) with your fingers to coat each cube of butter with the flour. Pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board, roll it into a ball. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups of frozen mixed berries and cherries (or whatever fruit you want)
• 1/2 cup white sugar (more if the fruit is extra tart)
• 1 tbsp flour
• Water
• Raw sugar crystals
• 2 tbsp butter

Mix the berries with the sugar and flour then cover and set aside for a couple of hours so they thaw.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator and roll into an 11 inch circle on a floured surface. Place on baking sheet. Spoon the berries into the center of the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Carefully fold the border of the pastry over the fruit, pleating it to make an edge. Brush water on the exposed pastry and add a bit of raw sugar crystals. Top the fruit with a couple of pats of butter.

Bake the galette for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes.

Whipped Cream:

• 1 pint of whipping cream
• 3-4 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients with a hand blender for 5-7 minutes until fluffy. Once the galette has cooled a bit, slice and serve, topping it with homemade whipped cream. Enjoy.

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