Five Spice Plum Galette with Cardamon Earl Grey Tea Crust
When it’s the end of summer and early fall and plums are plentiful, I make it my mission to eat as many as possible before the chill of autumn hits the air. And, I am always up for the challenge. This galette is a riff of the legendary Jacques Pepin’s recipe which I’ve been baking for at least 20 years. Galettes have an informal rustic ease to them which lend themselves to a bit of experimenting— and over the years I’ve made many variations. This one is my favorite. The warm tones of the five spice mix beautifully with the plums. The earl grey tea in the crust adds a subtle herby note that balances out the sweetness of the sugar. You might want to try this with ice cream for dessert. And yes, make no mistake, it’s perfectly delicious the morning after with a cup of coffee.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 ½ cups AP flour, plus one tablespoon
1 ½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
2 tsp earl grey tea leaves
1 tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup ice water
Filling
¼ cup plus ⅓ cup sugar
3 tbsp almond flour
3 tbsp AP flour
1 tsp cornstarch
2 ½ lbs. red plums, pitted and cut into ½” wedges
2 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tbsp five spice powder
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
METHOD
Put the flour, butter, earl grey tea leaves, cardamom and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds; the butter should still be in pieces. Add the ice water and process for 5 seconds longer, just until the dough comes together; the butter should still be visible.
Remove the dough from the processor and invert it onto a large sheet of non-stick parchment. With your hand form into a round disk approximately 1” tall. Place a second parchment on top and roll out the dough into a 16-by-18-inch oval, 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer dough, still between the parchment, onto a sheet pan and place into the fridge. Chill the dough until firm, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar, almond flour, AP flour, five spice powder and cornstarch. Remove chilled pastry from the fridge and carefully peel off the top parchment layer. Spread mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge. Arrange the plum wedges on top, sprinkle with thyme and dot with the butter. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit. Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. (If dough sticks to parchment don’t worry—this is a soft dough so pull it off and mend it back together. Remember this is a RUSTIC tart so don’t stress.) Sprinkle the border with turbinado sugar.
Bake the galette in the middle of the oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the fruit is very soft and the crust is golden brown. Let the galette cool to room temperature before serving.
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The Spice House Chinese Five Spice
Cuisinart Food Processor
Great Jones ‘Holy Sheet’ Pan