Apricot Galette

This galette was baked especially for my mom, at her request. Not a bad request I must say! I had mentioned possibly making a galette out of the beautiful and in season apricots I bought at Trader Joe's and the minute she heard the word "galette" she wanted it!

The apricots in stores right now are so sweet, juicy and delicious! They are in season and I'm seeing them everywhere. They are great for a snack, stewed with pork, made into a jam or baked into a galette.

If you've never made a pastry dough before, don't be intimidated at all to make a homemade one. There are only a couple of steps to make a pastry dough, and the most difficult part is probably achieving the right texture once you start slowly adding cold water. You'll want your dough to hold together enough to form it into a ball, but not gummy or too wet.

The great thing about this pastry dough is that it is very versatile. If you don't have a desire to make an apricot galette, you can really add any fruit (or even vegetables for a savory galette) into the center of the rolled out dough. Peaches, apples, plums, strawberries, the possibilities are endless!

If you're looking for a seasonal, crowd pleasing dessert, you need to make this galette. It is buttery, sweet, crunchy, juicy and even more delicious if you serve it with cold vanilla ice cream! What could be better on a hot summer night than a refreshing apricot galette?! Enjoy!

Apricot Galette:
(original recipe from: http://kitchenconfidante.com/)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water
12 apricots, pits removed and quartered
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with either a pastry cutter or your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the butter has formed into very small pieces.
3. Slowly add the ice water in 1 tablespoon intervals into the mixture, until the dough holds together and is only slightly still crumbly. You may need to use more or less of the 1/4 cup depending on how your dough reacts.
4. Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disc. Let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. In a bowl mix together the apricots, sugar and cornstarch.
6. Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper into a flat disc and pour the apricots into the center of the dough. Fold the edges of the dough over the apricots and transfer the parchment paper to a baking sheet. 
7. Brush the heavy cream onto the edges of the crust and sprinkle some extra sugar onto the edges of the crust. Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly, slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!