Pear Plum Galette: The Easiest Sweet and Tart Summer Dessert
There’s nothing quite like a homemade dessert, especially one that perfectly captures the essence of summer. This Pear Plum Galette is an absolute dream, balancing sweet and tart flavors with a wonderfully flaky pastry crust. Each bite is a symphony of juicy, tender pears and plums, all brought together with a vibrant red plum and honey glaze. Best of all, this stunning fresh fruit dessert is incredibly easy to make, going from your kitchen counter to the oven and onto your table in about 30 minutes. It’s the perfect light and impressive treat for any summer occasion, proving that delicious doesn’t have to mean difficult.
Life has a funny way of making us forget the simple pleasures we once cherished. Perhaps it’s the rush of daily life, changing circumstances, or just the passage of time, but certain memories and enjoyments can fade into the background. This past week, I had a couple of those forgotten joys resurface, reminding me of the beauty in rediscovery. As we delve deeper into summer vacation, the initial novelty of endless free time for my kids starts to wear off. They need a nudge to stay active and engaged beyond the screen. With glorious weather upon us, I suggested a family bike ride – a simple, classic summer activity that seemed like a perfect antidote to too much Netflix.
The plan for a refreshing bike ride hit a snag almost immediately: a broken bicycle air pump and a bike that desperately needed repair. If there’s one task I truly dislike, it’s working on bicycles. However, armed with determination and a strong desire for outdoor activity, I gritted my teeth and tackled the repairs. I managed to fix the pump and even got the broken bike about 95% of the way there before my patience wore thin, and I had to hand it over to my husband to complete when he got home. Once all the tires were inflated, the chains cleaned, and everything prepped, we finally set off on our family adventure.
There’s a unique thrill that comes from whizzing down a hill on a bike, a feeling of absolute freedom. The wind rushes past, billows your clothes, pulls your hair back from your face, and the sun feels warm on your skin. That exhilarating descent makes me feel as carefree and joyous as I did when I was a child. Every summer, without fail, when I pull my bike out for that first ride, I’m surprised by how much I still love it. It’s a moment of pure, unadulterated pleasure, a simple happiness I often forget until I’m back in the saddle.
This sense of rediscovery extended to my baking plans as well. I had initially envisioned creating a beautiful nectarine galette. However, my grocery trip proved to be a challenge. The nectarines looked absolutely awful, unripe and unappealing. Peaches, my next thought, weren’t quite ripe enough either. And apricots? Far too expensive for my casual baking project. My gaze then fell upon the unassuming plums sitting nearby. They were perfectly ripe and reasonably priced, so I reluctantly bought a bag. Truth be told, I was convinced I didn’t actually like plums. The memory of their taste was vague and not particularly positive, but I knew they would at least make a visually stunning galette. To ensure some flavor I genuinely enjoyed, I also picked up a few pears, hoping they would balance out the plums.
I’m still not entirely sure why I had developed such an unfair bias against plums in my mind. Perhaps it was a single bad experience, or simply a forgotten appreciation. As I began preparing the fruit for the galette, slicing into those little jewels, a wave of realization washed over me. Sweet on the inside, with a lovely tartness near the skin, plums are actually incredibly delightful! They sparked a forgotten memory: my mother had planted a plum tree at our very first house in the countryside. That resilient little tree, crooked and weathered after a tornado, still managed to bear the most beautiful, bountiful plums. How could I have possibly forgotten that I actually loved them? In fact, as I was slicing, I ended up eating so many that I had to call my husband to pick up more plums on his way home because there weren’t enough left for the galette!
This Pear Plum Galette truly embodies the spirit of easy, stress-free baking. It’s the ideal summer bake because it spends only 15-20 minutes in the oven, meaning you won’t heat up your entire kitchen on a warm day. The secret to its simplicity and elegant appearance lies in using store-bought puff pastry dough. Not only is it incredibly easy to work with, but it also bakes up into a beautiful, golden, and wonderfully flaky crust that looks far more intricate than it is. Preparing the pastry base is literally as simple as unfolding the puff pastry, making a couple of strategic cuts, and then refolding it to create a stunning, rustic edge. This simple technique transforms a basic sheet of dough into a sophisticated base for your fruit filling, giving you that ‘wow’ factor without the effort of making dough from scratch.
The filling for this spectacular galette is a delightful combination of thinly sliced pears and plums, gently tossed with lemon juice, sugar, and a touch of cornstarch. The lemon juice brightens the fruit, the sugar enhances its natural sweetness, and the cornstarch helps to thicken the juices, preventing a soggy crust. For my galette, I chose to peel the pears for a softer texture, but I left the skins on the plums. This not only adds a beautiful pop of color but also contributes to the galette’s lovely tartness, creating a perfect balance against the sweetness of the pears and the overall dessert. Once arranged artfully in the center of the prepared pastry, the galette is ready for its quick bake.
To truly elevate this rustic dessert, the freshly baked galette is brushed generously with a simple yet exquisite glaze made from red plum jam and honey. This warm, glossy glaze adds another layer of sweetness, intensifies the fruity flavor, and imparts a beautiful, irresistible shine to both the fruit filling and the flaky crust. The result is a dessert that looks, sounds, and tastes like something you’d find in a high-end bakery, yet it boasts a total prep and bake time of just around 30 minutes. This Pear Plum Galette is proof that you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to create something truly extraordinary. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for an indulgent treat, or let it cool completely for a delightful, room-temperature dessert perfect for sharing. It’s a versatile and easy fruit galette that’s sure to impress!
Pear Plum Galette
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Ingredients
- 1 thawed sheet puff pastry dough (from a 17.3 oz package)
- 2 small ripe pears, peeled if desired, thinly sliced
- 2 medium ripe plums, thinly sliced (skins on for tartness)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons red plum jam (or other red fruit jam)
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
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To prepare the puff pastry crust, take the thawed dough and carefully unfold it onto the prepared baking sheet.
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Gently fold the dough in half diagonally to form a large triangle.
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Using a sharp knife, make a slice about one inch (2.5 cm) from the edge along each of the two short sides of the folded triangle. Do not cut through the entire dough.
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Unfold the dough back into its original diamond (or square) shape. You should now see two parallel cuts creating an inner and outer border.
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Take one of the cut pastry strips and fold it diagonally towards the opposite corner, creating a twisted, rustic edge.
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Repeat this folding process with the strip on the adjacent side, so the dough now forms a diamond shape with decorative twisted edges at the top and bottom, ready to hold your filling.
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Thinly slice the pears (peel them beforehand if preferred) and plums. Keep the plum skins on for a beautiful color and extra tartness.
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In a medium bowl, gently toss the sliced pears and plums with the lemon juice, granulated sugar, and cornstarch until evenly coated.
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Arrange the fruit mixture aesthetically in the center of the prepared pastry dough, leaving the twisted edges exposed to create a border.
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Discard any excess liquid that has accumulated in the fruit bowl, as this can make the crust soggy.
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Bake in the preheated oven at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is beautifully puffed up, golden brown, and the fruit is tender.
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While the galette bakes, prepare the glaze. In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the red plum jam and honey.
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Microwave the jam and honey mixture for about 20 seconds, or until the jam is melted and smooth, stirring well.
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Once the galette is out of the oven, use a pastry brush to generously brush the warm glaze over the entire galette, covering both the fruit filling and the flaky crust.
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Serve your Pear Plum Galette warm, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, or allow it to cool completely and enjoy at room temperature.
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