This pear plum galette is a simple summer dessert with a beautiful balance of sweet and tart flavors. A flaky puff pastry crust is filled with thin slices of juicy pears and ripe plums, then finished with a glossy red plum jam and honey glaze. It looks elegant enough for guests, but it is wonderfully easy to prepare and can be ready in about 30 minutes.
Sometimes we forget how much we enjoy certain things. Time passes, routines change, and a small pleasure can slip quietly into the background. That happened to me recently in more than one way. We were deep into summer vacation, at the point where letting the kids lounge around watching Netflix all day no longer felt like a reasonable plan. The weather was too nice to waste indoors, so I encouraged everyone to get outside and ride bikes.
It sounded like a perfect idea until we discovered two problems: a broken bicycle pump and a bike that needed work. Fixing bikes is not my favorite task, but I pushed through it, repaired the pump, and got the bike almost fully working before I reached my limit. My husband finished the rest when he got home. Once the tires were filled, the bikes were cleaned up, and everyone was finally ready, we headed out for a family ride.
That first ride of the summer reminded me how much I love coasting down a hill. The breeze, the warm sun, and that quick rush of speed all bring back the carefree feeling of childhood. Every year, when I pull my bike out again, I am surprised by how much I still enjoy it.
I had originally planned to make a nectarine galette, but the nectarines at the store were disappointing. Peaches sounded like a good backup, but they were not ripe enough. Apricots were more expensive than I wanted, so I moved on to the small plums nearby. They were ripe enough, affordable, and pretty, even though I was not convinced I wanted to use them. For some reason, I had decided in my mind that I did not like plums. I bought a bag anyway and picked up a few pears so the galette would include a fruit I knew I loved.
As it turned out, I had been unfair to plums. They are sweet inside, pleasantly tart near the skin, and full of bright summer flavor. Once I started slicing them for the galette, I remembered that my mother had planted a plum tree at our first house in the country. A tornado left that little tree terribly crooked, but it still produced beautiful plums. I do not know how I forgot that I actually liked them. In fact, I ate so many while preparing the fruit that I had to ask my husband to bring home more plums so I would have enough for the dessert.
This easy pear plum galette is exactly the kind of dessert I like to bake in summer. It spends only 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, so it does not heat up the whole kitchen. The recipe uses store-bought puff pastry, which makes the process quick and gives the finished galette a light, flaky, golden crust. Preparing the pastry is simple: unfold the dough, make a few cuts, and fold it into a pretty diamond shape.
The filling is made with pears and plums tossed gently with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. I peeled the pears, but left the skins on the plums. Keeping the plum skins adds a tart note that balances the sweetness of the pears and the glaze. After baking, the warm galette is brushed with a simple mixture of red plum jam and honey. The glaze gives the pastry shine, adds a little extra sweetness, and makes the fruit look even more inviting.
Although this pear and plum galette looks like a special bakery-style dessert, it is simple enough for a weeknight treat. Serve it warm with ice cream, or let it cool completely and enjoy it on its own.
Pear Plum Galette
Ingredients
- 1 thawed sheet puff pastry dough
- 2 small pears
- 2 plums
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons red plum jam
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
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Place the thawed puff pastry dough on an ungreased baking sheet.
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Fold the dough in half to form a triangle.
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Using a sharp knife, cut one inch from the edge of the crust up each short side of the triangle.
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Unfold the dough back into a diamond shape.
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Fold one cut side of the dough over to the opposite corner.
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Repeat with the other side so the dough forms a diamond with a twist at the top and bottom.
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Thinly slice the pears and plums, peeling the fruit if desired.
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In a medium bowl, gently toss the fruit with the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch.
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Arrange the sliced fruit in the center of the pastry dough.
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Discard any leftover liquid from the fruit mixture.
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Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the red plum jam and honey.
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Microwave for 20 seconds to melt the jam.
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Use a pastry brush to spread the glaze over the fruit filling and crust.
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Serve warm with ice cream, or allow the galette to cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
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Calories: 196kcal