A galette is best described as a rustic pie, or as a pie baked without a pie pan. You roll your crust out flat and put the filling in the center and then fold the edges up to make a circular crust with a few inch open center. I've seen these many times but have neither made nor eaten one. Well, today, that's going to change. I give the recipe in two parts, first the crust followed by the berry filling.

Galette Dough
From Baking with Julia

• 3 tablespoons sour cream (or yogurt or buttermilk)
• 1/3 cup (approximately) ice water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 to 8 pieces

Directions:

• Stir the sour cream and ice water together in a small bowl; set aside.
• Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
• Pulse to combine.
• Drop the butter pieces into the bowl and pulse 8 to 10 times, or until the mixture is speckled with pieces of butter that vary in size from bread crumbs to peas.
• With the machine running, add the sour cream mixture and process just until the dough forms soft, moist curds.
• Remove the dough from the processor, divide it in half, and press each half into a disk.
• Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Berry Galette
From Baking with Julia

• 1/2 recipe galette dough, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups mixed fresh berries (or cut up peeled fruit)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into an 11-inch circle that's about 1/8 inch thick. Since the dough is soft, you'll need to lift it now and then and toss some more flour under it and over the top.
• Roll the dough up around your rolling pin and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
• Spread the berries over the dough, leaving a 2 to 3-inch border.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the fruit and drizzle the honey, if you're using it.
• Cut the butter into slivers and scatter it over the top of the fruit.
• Fold the uncovered border of the dough up over the filling, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the galette.
• Dip a pastry brush in water, give the edge of the crust a light coating, and then sprinkle the crust with the remaining teaspoon of sugar.
• Bake the galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
• Transfer baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the galette rest on the sheet for 10 minutes.
• Slip a wide spatula under it and slide it onto the cooling rack.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, cutting with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife.

About this recipe: by planning ahead and making the dough a day or two earlier you can have a warm, delicious, and not-quite-sinful dessert in the time it takes you eat dinner.

The dough can also be made by hand using a pastry cutter and using a fork to stir it together with the sour cream mixture until you can press it together with your hands. I used a food processor to make the work quick and easy. I also only chilled my dough for only and hour and it rolled out just fine--something to consider if you're pressed for time. It is a rather sticky dough so keep the flour out to dust your hands when shaping the rounds into disks.

The instructions to flour the top and bottom as you roll out the dough is spot on. You will need to do this if you don't want your crust to stick to the counter. It's also rather soft so treat it gingerly when rolling onto the pin and transferring to the baking sheet. My crust wasn't quite round, more square, really, but I think it was about 11 inches across.

Preparing the filling was as simple as it sounds, although in my excitement to fold the edges over I forgot to sprinkle in the butter slices. I just kind of shoved them in here and there with a knife under the folds. I won't forget next time. Oh! And I used frozen fruit for this instead of fresh--a "mixed berry" of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. I defrosted them in the fridge and made sure they were well drained.

I baked my galette for 38 minutes until the crust was golden and crispy.

The result: a wonderful, fresh, lightly sweet and tart (thanks to the raspberries) fruit filled pastry. The crust is not like pie crust but is firmer and more crisp and the cornmeal lends a texture that's more noticeable. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream would really make an excellent contrast and a delightful presentation. Definitely try this. Using frozen berries, you can make this in the dead of winter and warm up the kitchen with wonderful smells and flavors.