The Delicious French Dessert That's A Unique Mashup Of A Pie And Pastry

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With luxurious sounding names, delicate doughs, and rich accoutrements of chocolate, cream, and fruit, French pastries can seem like a "pie in the sky" feat to amateur home bakers. For those who want to start with a more accessible dessert, one classic option is something of a fusion between a pie and a pastry. Considered a type of pie, the humble galette differs in its presentation and construction and is slightly more reminiscent of a typical tart.

Originating during the Norman Dynasty, the word galette means "flat cake" and, in French cuisine, it can refer to a myriad of different cake and pastry dishes made without a tin. This lack of a tin is, in part, what distinguishes the differences between a pie and a galette. Galettes can be filled with either sweet or savory ingredients, and another advantage of this delicious dessert is that, unlike some pies, the filling and dough all bake at the same time.

There are several variations on the French galette, including Breton galettes, which are made using a savory buckwheat crepe, and a rustic galette, which is usually made with a type of pie crust called short crust as the base. Simply fill the center and fold the dough inwards, leaving the filling mostly exposed before baking. Though this might still sound intimidating to prepare, the format and filling of a galette are fairly forgiving, allowing you to experiment with your own favorite flavors and new ideas.

With this simple cross between a pie and a pastry, it's important to remember that the galette is pretty free-form in nature. Unlike other desserts that have a certain rigidity to the way in which they are to be prepared, you can make your galette as basic or as extravagant as you wish. If you aren't as adept at preparing pastry dough, for example, there are plenty of options to shortcut your short crust for a rustic version.

One tip for a quick and easy galette is to grab your favorite brand of refrigerated pie crust, specifically the kind that you would need to roll out before filling. This can set the perfect base for your favorite seasonal fruits of savory vegetables. You can even streamline the filling by using your preferred brand of pie filling, like Duncan Hines Comstock Country Cherry Pie Filling, keeping in mind that this will make for a slightly thinner center and will require you to fold the dough closer inward.

On the savory side, try adding your favorite root vegetables or making a jam out of heirloom tomatoes for your filling. You can even mix some cheese into the filling to bake and bubble up for a delight in every bite. The galette is a great first step into exploring French desserts and makes a lot of room for creativity in the kitchen.