Apricot Galette

This apricot galette recipe makes a simple dessert that looks spectacular. The crust on this pie is a keeper—so crunchy, tender, and buttery.

I chilled the dough for 2 hours and needed to let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before I could roll it out. To save a step (and because I’m not very good with pie dough), I rolled it out on the parchment paper and slid that onto the baking sheet. I probably should’ve chilled the crust again before filling it (it was a warm day) because it became sticky and had a couple of tears. I tried to fix them, but my galette still leaked a little in the oven. I baked it at 425°F for 40 minutes and only 10 minutes at 350°F since the crust was brown and the filling was bubbling.

My fresh apricots weren’t perfectly ripe, so the filling could’ve used a couple extra tablespoons sugar, but that’s all forgotten if you serve it with vanilla bean ice cream!

I’ve always wanted to make the perfect pie. Pastry that won’t sag or crumble, fruit that’s not a juicy tower just waiting to collapse, the perfect crimp along the edge. Here’s the solution: the galette. Subtract the crimp, lose the height, leave the seasonal fruit. You’re left with pastry that doesn’t demand perfection, one where an uneven edge or a burnished bump is there simply to be charming. It’s the perfect ruse as it’s perfectly imperfect.

This apricot galette recipe uses a food processor and great directions to make pulling the pastry together a cinch. I used 5 tablespoons ice water to achieve the correct texture. It was a very warm day and though the dough wasn’t sticky, I have no patience for soft pastry. I will fearlessly return misbehaving dough to the fridge at the first sign of sticking. I did this twice during rolling and transferring to the baking sheet to avoid tearing (and swearing!).

The baking time and instructions were just right. We served it at room temperature and had no problems with crumbly pastry or loose, liquidy filling. I did have a problem with the sweetness of the fruit—whoa, were my apricots puckery, almost sour. I wish I’d have doubled the sugar. Whipped cream helped with the tartness. If I’d had the sweetness right, I’d have loved it with crème fraîche. We’ll have the leftovers with homemade vanilla ice cream.

This apricot galette was brilliantly tasty and so easy. It worked the way you so often hope a dessert recipe will. We have lovely Frog Hollow apricots available right now, and this recipe intensified their flavor beautifully. Making the dough with the food processor was a snap, and it’s the flakiest crust I’ve made with the least amount of fuss.

My butter was very cold, as I had just pulled it from the freezer before dicing it, and the dough came together quickly and only needed 4 tablespoons of ice water to yield a moist, crumbly mixture. After chilling the dough, I rolled it out between sheets of parchment paper, so I hardly needed any extra flour. You can have this galette in the oven in 45 minutes then let it rest before serving for dessert.

I was restrained with my nutmeg, which enhanced the flavor of the fruit without overpowering it, so I’d say go lightly. I didn’t have heavy cream, but I did have a fresh carton of buttermilk, so I brushed 1 tablespoon onto the crust after pleating it, which worked beautifully. The top of the galette was nicely caramelized after 40 minutes thanks to the sprinkle of sugar, and I only gave it another 5 minutes in the oven after dropping the temperature to 350℉. By then, the fruit was slightly caramelized on the edges as well. My best taster gave the galette a thumbs-up!

This easily makes 8 servings, and with a ribbon of crème frâiche or a bit of fresh ricotta, it’s the perfect seasonal dessert. I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe.

To me, apricots signal the start of summer. Their season here is so short, and this recipe is a glorious way to celebrate all that is the apricot. I loved the crust recipe. I haven’t been a fan of making crust in the food processor in the past, but this one yielded a buttery, flaky, and tender crust.

I had to make 2 galettes for a family function, and the entire recipe doubled easily. It only took 6 tablespoons of iced water for double the amount of dough to come together. After 30 minutes in the fridge, the dough rolled out nicely into 2 discs and was most forgiving to work with.

Apricots are easy to slice and de-stone, so 3 pounds were done in about 20 minutes. Assembly was simple once the dough was rolled out onto 2 baking sheets. You can’t beat dumping, folding, pinching, brushing, and popping in the oven. I baked the galettes for 50 minutes, switching the baking sheets after 20 minutes at 400°F and again during the last 10 minutes at 350°F.

The aroma from the oven was heavenly. It was hard to wait while the galettes cooled enough to eat. We served them with dishes of both crème fraîche and whipped cream, and while most people automatically reached for the whipped cream, I preferred the slight tanginess of the crème fraîche.

The apricot galettes themselves were tender, juicy, and nicely caramelized on top. The apricots were slightly tart but didn’t need any additional sugar in my opinion. One taster disagreed and found the fruit a little too tart. I

don’t know how the galette keeps overnight, as there was none left over—always a sign of a good recipe! This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket for when you want to showcase a fruit. Definitely worth making again and again and again.

The dough was very easy to make and came together quickly. I’m used to only having dried apricots or in a trail mix of some sort and rarely eat fresh ones, so this galette was a pleasant surprise. I wish the fruit had been a little sweeter. The amount of sugar called for was not enough for me, so if you don’t like your desserts on the tart side, I’d add more sugar.

The crust was durable enough to handle the fruit and its juices without becoming soggy. To serve, I cut the tart into wedges and got 8 generous pieces.