Pear Galette with Almond Frangipane
Today’s recipe is in partnership with BlueStar, the appliances I used in my new renovated kitchen. You can see more on the renovation here.
I have been making this Pear Galette with Almond Frangipane since roughly 2015 but I have never written down the recipe! I am sorry because it is a good one! I love that it is different than the traditional Thanksgiving desserts of pie and looks incredible with the fanned pears on a table. Don’t be put off the recipe by the word frangipane - it just basically a sweet filling that is made with almonds and eggs.
Couple notes on the recipe:
First you can make this is steps to make the final recipe come together really quickly on Thanksgiving. Make the pie dough up to 3 days before (or freeze for up to a month and let it defrost in the fridge overnight before using) and you can make the frangipane and store in the fridge for up to a week before using. The only thing that is really important to cut and place right before cooking are the pears.
You don’t have to cut the pears like I did - instead you could just slice and scatter then on top. If you do want to fan them, make sure to leave about an inch on the top to hold the “pear fan” together.
Pear Galette with Almond Frangipane
For the pie dough:
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
Pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter (½ cup)
3 to 4 Tbs. ice cold water
For the frangipane:
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
3 firm but ripe pears, such as Anjou
¼ cup apricot jam
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In the bowl of a food processor pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Add 3 tablespoons cold water and pulse until the dough comes together, adding remaining tablespoon if the dough is dry. Remove from the food processor bowl and form into a disk on a clean countertop surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
Make the frangipane by pulsing together the almonds, sugar, and salt until the almonds are finely ground. Add the eggs, vanilla, almond extract and butter and pulse until combined and the texture is a thick paste.
Assemble the galette by rolling out the pie dough into approximately 12” in diameter. Using an offset spatula spread the frangipane on the center of the pie dough leaving a 3” border.
Prep the pears by cutting in half horizontally. Remove the seeds and core with a spoon. Place the pears cut side down and thinly slice leaving a 1” piece of pear at the top near the stem that isn’t cut to hold all the slices together. Fan the pears over the frangipane, cutting them in half if needed to make them fit.
Brush the pie dough wth the egg wash and bake the galette for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie dough is golden brown and the fruit is fork tender.
In a small saute pan add the apricot jam with ¼ cup of water. Whisk until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the galette with the jam mixture. Let cool at least an hour before serving.
Makes about 6 to 8 servings
