Pie and Pastry Bible (124 page)

Place the pastry, still covered, in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (At this point it can stay frozen for up to 3 months, but wrap it tightly in plastic wrap [Saran is the most airtight] and then place it in a freezer weight bag.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or cookie sheet on it before preheating.

Bake the galette for 20 minutes. Cover it loosely with foil if it is browning too fast and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 375°F. and bake for 45
minutes [30 minutes] longer. Turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and allow the galette to cool in the oven for 15 minutes.

The egg glaze produces a rich golden crust, but for a shiny effect you can sprinkle the surface lightly with powdered sugar and place it under the broiler for a few seconds or in a 500°F. oven for about 5 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning! The galette is most delicious when served slightly warm.

VARIATION

INDIVIDUAL GALETTES
These four smaller gallettes have double the frangipane filling to puff pastry, and each will serve 2. The baked galettes will be about 1½ inches high all over and 4 inches wide. You will need 4½ ounces of cut pastry for each, so start with at least 1¾ pounds of dough to make four 4½-inch pastry rounds that are
inch thick for the bottoms and four 4½-inch pastry rounds that are 3/16 inch thick for the tops. Divide the dough in half, with one piece slightly larger. For the best shape, roll out the pastry and cut squares about 5 to 5½ inches in size. Place the 4 bottom pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or lightly sprayed with water. Gently mark each one with a 4½-inch round cutter or template. Spread ¼ cup of frangipane on each one, leaving a ½-inch border. Brush this border with the egg glaze and cover each with a top pastry square, pressing firmly all around the border. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm enough to cut without compressing the layers of pastry at the edges, about 30 minutes. (They must be left open to allow the pastry full flight when it rises.)

Use the cutter or template and a sharp knife tip to cut out the 4½-inch pastries; discard the scraps. Press firmly around the border from the top only, so as not to compress the layers of pastry at the edge. Using a small sharp blade, make ¼-inch-long angled slashes about ¼ inch deep
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at even intervals into the border of the dough. Brush the top of each galette with the egg glaze, being careful not to allow it to drip onto the sides (and thus sealing them closed). Freeze the pastries for 20 minutes.

Brush the galettes again with the egg glaze. Cut a design into the dough as illustrated in Figure 3 above.
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Cover the galettes with inverted bowls or cake pans and allow them to rest, refrigerated, for 2 hours to relax the dough and prevent distortion, then place them, still covered, in the freezer for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (At this point, they can stay frozen for up to 3 months, but wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap [Saran is the most airtight] and then place them in freezer-weight bags.)

Bake the galettes in a preheated 400°F. oven for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F. and continue baking for 25 minutes. (If the pastry is browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil.) Turn off the oven and leave the galettes in it (uncovered), propping the door open with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes.

STORE

As with all puff pastry, the galette is best eaten the same day it is baked, although it is still delicious the following 2 days. Do not refrigerate, as the pastry will toughen to cardboard.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

The oven must be very hot, or butter will leak from the pastry and it will not rise as high. The two pieces of dough must be joined securely to prevent the filling from leaking. If a little leaks, however, it is firm enough to self-seal once set, which will keep the rest from oozing out.

In some convection ovens, the pastry stays a beautiful golden brown without needing to be covered. To prevent overbrowning, a whole egg glaze in place of the yolk/cream one works perfectly, but it will produce a slightly less shiny surface.

INDIVIDUAL TWELFTH NIGHT CHOCOLATE GALETTES

T
his Twelfth Night galette contains a filling of chocolate walnut frangipane. Walnut’s synergy with chocolate makes the chocolate taste more chocolaty. Hazelnuts also make a fine variation and impart their own more distinctive flavor. When I worked out this variation, I was hoping for a flow of chocolate filling when the pastry was cut, but with puff pastry there is
always
a little leak where the top and bottom crusts join and if it flows after baking, it is sure to flow during baking and create a mess. If you love the consistency of a chocolate flow, serve the galettes with hot fudge sauce (page 596)!

EQUIPMENT

A large cookie sheet or inverted half-size sheet pan, preferably lined with parchment

Make the dough (page 417 or 420), or defrost it according to the package directions.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE FRANGIPANE

In a food processor, finely grate the chocolate. Add the nuts and sugar and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process only until mixed. Chill for at least 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring by hand. In this case, the mixture may be firm enough to use without chilling.)

MAKE THE GLAZE

Beat together the egg yolk and cream just to mix.

ASSEMBLE THE GALETTES

Remove the chocolate frangipane from the refrigerator to soften to a spreadable consistency.

You will need six 4½-inch pastry rounds that are Vs inch thick for the bottoms and six 4½-inch pastry rounds that are 3/16 inch thick for the tops. Divide the dough in half, with one piece slightly larger. For the best shape, roll out the pastry and cut squares about 5 to 5½ inches in size. Place the 6 bottom pieces about 1 inch apart on
a cookie sheet lined with parchment or lightly sprayed with water. Gently mark each one with a 4½-inch cutter or template. Spread a scant ¼ cup of chocolate frangipane (stir it first, if necessary, to soften it enough for spreading) on each one, leaving a ½-inch border. Brush this border with the egg glaze and cover each with a top pastry square, pressing firmly all around the border. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm enough to cut without compressing the layers of pastry at the edges, about 30 minutes. (They must be left open to allow the pastry full flight in rising.)