Another transition of seasons is here and I’m leaning into it with a deep sigh of gratitude and pure satisfaction of a summer well spent.

And it feels so good.

I’m looking forward to every change of season more than I ever used to and I can see how much things can change when I’ve living with more intention in every area of life.

It’s allowed me to just soak into the present moment and really feel into what I want to create more of in my life.

Cooking is of course at the heart of this too. Because it’s the thing that again when done with intention just adds to and supports me in my life in so many ways.

I’m slowly moving into being excited about turning on the oven again and enjoying the sweet smells of freshly baked creations or the comforts of something slowly cooking to perfection as I tuck under blanket, tea in hand with a good book. Feels like a deep exhale after a full summer.

Can you feel that on its? I sure can.

As we move slowly into the next season, how do you want to feel? How can you be intentional about creating that in your life?

I’ve got more to come as we move from Summer to Fall in the kitchen and doing it in this beautiful, intentional way, but for today I’ll share one thing I love making to take advantage of the end of summer/fall produce and has me looking forward to turning on the oven, but in the most relaxed way possible.

Galettes.

Galettes are pies perfectly imperfect cousin. They’re the thing I love to make because exactly as I just said, they’re supposed to be imperfect. Roll and fold the dough over some filling. No pie pans or top crusts. You can make them whatever size you want. All you need is a good dough and a simple filling. Brush and bake and you’re done. I love that they work with both savoury and sweet ingredients, they're delicious warm or cold so you can have them really anytime; brunch, patio dinner, picnic (while we still can even if it’s with sweaters) - or even breakfast.

Let's dive into some essentials to the Galette game:

The pastry is one of the stars here and because it doesn't have to be perfect, it's a great time to practice your pastry rolling. 

I always use my all purpose pastry dough. Yes, the one we've been talking about the last few weeks - if you haven't tried it, hopefully this is your inspiration. You can grab the recipe HERE and if you need some more step by step, watch the video HERE I usually double the pastry recipe so I have lots to work with and it freezes really well to make for quick baking another time. 

Roll the dough into a large circle or square (then cut your own circle if that's easier). Because we're freestyling here you can really make whatever shape you want so feel free to experiment.....my nephews always ask for dinosaur shaped pancakes so maybe I need to try a dino galette????!

When you add the filling, leave a nice 2-3 inch border to make your life easier and you have lots of pastry to fold over. 

For the filling:

Sweet ones:

Pay attention to which fruit you choose. Some will be juicier than others (strawberries, peaches, blueberries as opposed to apricots or apples) so think about that. You might need a little more cornstarch so that the juices thicken nicely. Basic fruit filling is about 4-6 cups of cut fruit to 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, squeeze of half a lemon or 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (trust me on this with strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries or blueberries). Again, right now is perfect for galettes as we slowly get back to happily turning on the oven and some of my favourite fruits for fillings are apples, pears, plums because they hold up well and aren’t super juicy which means less potential for leaking.

Some of my favourite galettes are ones that are super simple just letting the fruit shine but you feel like it, you can also add things like citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime) cinnamon and/or nutmeg, or a splash of vanilla. I will sometimes brush the inside of the crust with jam, a layer of sweetened mascarpone or goats cheese, or some almond paste for the frangipane vibe.

Savoury ones:

I love using all the fresh summer veg for a summer galette; mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini (I peel these with a potato peeler to get nice, long, pretty ribbons), zucchini flowers, eggplant, leeks, whatever looks good to you at the market. Sometimes I'll cook the mushrooms to get a bit of the water out and add some nice caramelized flavour. Another tip for non watery galettes is so sprinkle some breadcrumbs on the dough before you add the veggies or salt the tomatoes, eggplants or zucchini and let them sit for 20 minutes then dry with a towel. The bonus of this is it will concentrate the flavour of the veggies AND help avoid a soggy crust. 

I love adding different cheeses to compliment the veggies; parmesan, halloumi, manchego, asiago, goat cheese, or brie to name a few. 

And fresh herbs - basil, parsley, rosemary, anything goes!

Folding and baking:

As I mentioned, this is a free form pie so don't worry about it being perfect. When you've rolled it out, put it on some parchment paper and then on a baking sheet before you add your filling

Leave lots of room for folding the dough over to create your crust. I fold it gently over just the edges of the filling.

Bake at a higher heat, I like 425* on the bottom rack of your oven for 25-35 minutes depending on your filling - you want the fruit filling to be nice and bubbly and the crust to be a good golden brown. 

If it leaks, that's okay too! Like I said, perfectly imperfect. 

Want more with me? 

This publication is reader supported and it means the world if you choose to become a paid subscriber. You’ll also get access community threads, months round ups, more recipes and live hangouts, and more!

The Communal Table If you don’t know, this is my monthly cooking community where I lead classes, have guest teachers join us, there’s a cookbook club, foodie round tables where we nerd out about all things cooking and food, plus monthly giveaways of my favourite things, and so much more. If you’re looking for a space of rad people who love cooking as much as you do, come join us!

Learn more

Ready to learn the pleasure and the principles of cooking well? Let’s THE CREATIVE KITCHEN This if for you if you want to learn some foundational cooking skills so you can find your own creativity and flow in the kitchen. Because that’s what it’s all about!

TELL ME MORE