PLUM DANDY GALETTE

​Plum Galette
(from Stella Notte)

​For the dough-
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
9 tablespoons (4.5 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3½-4½ tablespoons ice water
1½ teaspoons cider vinegar
 
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture, pulsing just until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger pieces of butter. Be careful not to over mix. Transfer the flour/butter mixture to a large mixing bowl. Combine 3½ tablespoons ice water with the cider vinegar. Drizzle the liquid over the flour/butter mixture, tossing with your fingers. If the dough is a bit dry and does not hold together add up to 1 more tablespoon of ice water, just enough to create a shaggy dough. Gather the dough together, shape it into a disc, flatten it slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out the chilled dough into a 14” circle, about 1/8” thick. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
 
For the filling- 
(I prefer to use black plums in this -such as the El Dorado- rather than Italian prune plums.)
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons ground almonds
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2¼ pounds plums*—rinsed, halved, pitted and cut into ¼” slices (generous 6 cups)
1/3 cup demerara sugar (if the plums are very tart, add 1-2 tablespoon(s) dark brown sugar)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
zest of one small orange
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup good-quality plum or raspberry preserves, strained if chunky or seedy
 
egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
additional sugar for sprinkling
1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds
 
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar with the ground almonds and flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the demerara sugar, (brown sugar if using) cinnamon, orange zest, and vanilla. Add the plum slices, tossing with a rubber spatula to coat thoroughly with the sugar/spice mixture. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator. Leaving a 2” border, sprinkle the sugar/almond/flour mixture evenly over the dough. Arrange the plum slices decoratively over the sugar/almond/flour mixture, staying within the 2” border. Dot the plums with the butter pieces. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums, creating a 2” ruffled border. Refrigerate the galette for 20 minutes. Remove the galette from the refrigerator. Brush the pastry edges with egg wash, sprinkle with sliced almonds and sugar and bake on the lowest rack of the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. The galette is ready when the fruit is tender and the crust is deeply golden. Warm the jam slightly on top of the stove or in the microwave. Remove the galette from the oven and brush the plums with the melted jam. Let the galette cool to room temperature before slicing. Leftovers can be covered in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for a day.