Pear Galette with Sage Caramel Sauce
Galettes are the best. They’re less fussy than pie, easier to make, way more fun to eat, and waaaaaaay less likely to result in a dreaded soggy bottom. Fill them with any kind of fruit, make them full-size or individual minis, top the whole thing with ice cream, whipped cream, powdered sugar, caramel— there’s no wrong way to make galette. And they feel fancy without all the fancy-dessert work.
So if you’re in any way hesitant about pies, or just want to make the most fun with the least amount of effort this fall, make a galette. And specifically this one. The pears are super flavorful, and their natural caramel-y flavor works really well with the sage caramel sauce. It’s perfect for your Thanksgiving table, especially as we try to make this year feel fun and special in any way we can.
The pie dough recipe I use is adapted from Serious Eats and very beginner friendly, but feel free to use any single-crust pie dough recipe you like. Or if you’re really in a pinch, you can absolutely use a good-quality store bought dough like the Trader Joe’s frozen version. No stress, there’s enough of that this year!
A note about slicing the pears. There’s the way I learned in culinary school…and the way my husband does it, and honestly his way is easier and doesn’t create any more waste. So do it his way— place the pear on a cutting board and slice down one side (the cheek of the pear, if you will). Repeat on remaining sides using the exposed core as your guide for where to cut.
Recipe
Ingredients
For the pie dough, adapted from Serious Eats Easy Pie Dough
1 ½ cups (190g) flour, plus more for rolling the dough out
½ cup (112g) butter, cut into cubes
2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 tbsp (1-1.5 fl oz) water
For the galette
2 pounds d’anjou pears, cored and sliced
1 tbsp (12g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tbsp (½ fl oz) hot water
1 tbsp heavy cream
For the sage caramel
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (65g) butter
¾ cup heavy cream
10 sage leaves
1 tsp salt
Directions
Make the pie dough: In a food processor, combine approximately ¾ cups (95g) of the flour with the butter, sugar, and salt. Pulse until the mixture comes together in large, smooth clumps. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this step by softening the butter slightly and mixing the ingredients very well by hand, but make sure the butter is completely incorporated.
Once the mixture comes together, sprinkle the remaining flour and 1 tbsp of water over it and mix with a spatula until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a disk.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap) and chill ideally overnight, but at least 1-2 hours.
While the dough is chilling, make the sage caramel: Add the heavy cream and sage to a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat off. Steep for approximately 20 minutes, then remove the sage. While the cream is still warm, add the butter and allow it to melt.
Add the sugar to a high-sided saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. You can swirl the pan gently to help the sugar dissolve, but don’t stir it.
When the sugar turns a medium-amber caramel color, remove from heat and add a little bit of the warm cream to the sugar and whisk vigorously. Be super careful, the caramel might come up the sides of the pan or spatter! Once the cream is mixed in, add the remaining cream and keep whisking until it’s entirely incorporated.
It’s possible that during this process the mixture might seize— the sugar will harden and not incorporate into the cream. This is totally salvageable, just put the pan over low heat and keep whisking until the sugar incorporates in. It might take a while but it will!
Pour the caramel into a heat-safe container and reserve. You can save any you don’t use for the galette in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Make the galette:
Preheat the oven to 375F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and place on a well floured work surface. Roll the dough into a circle about ⅛ inch thick, taking care to make sure the dough isn’t sticking to the surface or to the rolling pin. If you get some cracks in the dough while rolling, just pinch them back together with your fingers, no big deal!
Once the dough is rolled out, carefully wrap it around the rolling pin and then unroll it onto your lined sheet pan. If you’ve been working in a very warm room, you might want to give the dough a quick 10-15 minute chill in the fridge so it’s nice and cold at this point.
Remove the dough from the fridge, if you’ve chilled it. Place the pears in a roughly even single layer until they reach about 1 ½ inches from the edge of the dough. Try to place the pears with the skin side up, slightly fanned out, and with as few gaps as possible.
Mix the tablespoon of sugar with the tablespoon of hot water and stir to dissolve. Brush the mixture over the pears with a pastry brush.
Fold the edges of the dough over the pears tightly so there aren’t gaps between the edge of the galette and the pear filling.
Brush the dough with the heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake 45-50 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown.
Allow the galette to cool slightly and drizzle with the caramel.
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