BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
June 2024
Sure, any galette, pie, quiche or tart is improved by pebbling flour and butter between your fingers. But when time is limited, the pie that gets made always tastes better than no pie at all. So, store-bought pie crust is the shortcut.
In-season fruit and a roll of pie crust at the ready, a galette is just a few minutes away. It's the ideal weeknight pie solution for decadent summer dessert. Toss fruit in sugar and a bit of flour, spread in the center of a single pie crust, roll up the edges and bake.
With a few additional ingredients you can create this decadent cherry and honeyed goat cheese galette, which is everything you love about pie and cheese Danish all rolled up in one dessert that will certainly make sure you forget that you used a store-bought crust.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, flour and a pinch of salt into the cherries. A tablespoon of sugar is a good start, but you may need a little more if your cherries are on the tart side, or less if they’re overripe.
The syrupy white balsamic vinegar will do a lovely job of coating the cherries and adding a touch of gentle acidity. Use regular balsamic vinegar if that’s what you have, but be warned that it will dull the color of the cherries as they bake. If you use a squeeze of lemon instead, compensate for the sweetness of the balsamic by adding a touch more sugar.
Add the honey to the goat cheese and beat until fully combined and the goat cheese is whipped and easy to spread.
The white balsamic vinegar will do a lovely job of coating the cherries and adding a touch of gentle acidity.
Unroll the pie crust and place it on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll the dough out until it has increased in size by about an inch in diameter. This step is optional, but it will make the crust just a bit thinner, yielding a crisp, crumbly crust that takes less time to bake. There’s no need to change any of the ingredient measures if you skip this step, but you may need to add a few minutes to the bake time, and you’ll have a slightly smaller galette.
Spread the goat cheese on the pie crust, leaving about one and a half inches around the edges.
Spread the cherries and all of their juices over the goat cheese.
A galette is a rustic and freeform, so there’s no wrong way to fold up the crust. Start anywhere and fold up an edge, then repeat around the galette, overlapping just a bit, leaving the center exposed and an an inch of crust along the edges.
Brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash or a bit of buttermilk and sprinkle with sanding sugar or turbinado sugar (like Sugar in the Raw). Bake at 400° for 35 minutes, or until the pie crust is golden brown and the cherries begin to bubble.
This galette isn’t jam-packed with fruit. It has just enough to allow the honeyed, creamy goat cheese to bubble up around each cherry for a sweet and tart combination that easily accepts a layer of vanilla bean ice cream. It's just as delicious warm as served room temperature, and makes a great breakfast the next morning.
"Shortcut" Cherry and Goat Cheese Galette
Season: Summer
Serves four
ingredients
1 ready-made pie crust, such as Pillsbury
2 cups halved and pitted sweet cherries
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
8 oz goat cheese
2 tbsp honey
Buttermilk or egg wash
Turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Lay the ready-made pie crust flat on a lightly-floured surface and roll out gently until increased about an inch in diameter.
Whip the goat cheese together with the honey and spread on the center of the pie crust, leaving about 3” around the edges.
Stir the vinegar, sugar, flour and a pinch of salt into the cherries. Spoon the cherries over the goat cheese.
Fold the edges of the pie crust over the filling, leaving the filling in the center exposed. Brush with buttermilk or egg wash (one egg beaten with two teaspoons of water), and sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the crust.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling begins to bubble.
