Pear and Blue Cheese Galette

 

This free-form, rustic tart straddles the line between sweet and savory, making it the perfect last course after a rich holiday dinner. Or try slicing it into thin wedges and adding it to a cheese board! Either way, don’t miss pairing it with Wagner Vineyard’s Riesling Ice Wine– the smooth, balanced sweetness of the wine plays nicely against the blue cheese and rosemary. A note about the cheese: baking it on top of the tart results in a pleasantly chewy caramelized texture, but if you prefer a smoother cheese, simply scatter the blue cheese crumbles on top of the hot galette as soon as you remove it from the oven.

YIELD: 6-8 servings

EQUIPMENT: 2 large bowls, pastry cutter or fork, plastic wrap, measuring cups & spoons, rolling pin, sheet tray, parchment paper, knife, cutting board

DIETARY INFO: Vegetarian, contains gluten, dairy, and eggs

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed to roll out dough

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

  • 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary

  • ½ cup (4 ounces, or 1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½” cubes

  • ½ cup ice water, plus more as needed

  • 1 egg, beaten well with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)

For the filling:

  • 1 ½ pounds firm-ripe pears, such as Anjou or Bartlett (or a mix), sliced into ¼” wedges

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • The zest from 1 lemon

  • 2 tablespoons Wagner Vineyard’s Riesling Ice Wine

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

  • 3 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Pear Galette

DIRECTIONS:

Make the crust:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, and minced rosemary. Toss cubed butter into the flour mixture, making sure to coat each piece of butter with flour. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, work the butter into the flour mixture until only pea-sized chunks of butter remain.

  2. Make a well in the middle of the flour-butter mixture and add ½ cup ice water (take care not to add any ice cubes to the mix!). Using your hands, gently incorporate water into the flour mixture until the mixture holds together. The dough should be shaggy but not too crumbly– depending on your flour and the ambient humidity, you may need to add more ice water. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together in a cohesive ball. Lift dough out of the bowl and place it on a sheet of plastic wrap. If a lot of dry crumbs remain in the bowl, add a teaspoon of ice water and stir together. Add to the dough ball. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (This will allow the dough to fully hydrate and relax enough to roll out– don’t skimp on this step!)

  3. DO AHEAD: dough can be made and kept, tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If using dough from the freezer, allow  it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before proceeding with the recipe.

Make the filling and assemble galette:

  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to a 14” circle. Don’t worry if the edges look a little rough, this galette is supposed to look rustic! Gently move dough from floured surface to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper: my favorite way to do this is to carefully roll the dough onto my rolling pin and then gently unroll it onto the sheet tray. If any large cracks appear, simply press them back together. The dough may overhang the sheet tray slightly, that’s okay! Place the sheet tray with dough in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

  2. In a large bowl, toss sliced pears with sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add lemon zest, melted butter, and ice wine and toss to combine. (If your ingredients are cold, the butter may harden when it comes into contact with the pears– this is okay!)

  3. Arrange pear mixture over the rolled-out dough, leaving about 2” around the perimeter of the dough clear of filling. Gently fold uncovered dough up over the edges of the filling, pleating dough to form a crust and pressing lightly to keep it in place. Brush the crust with egg wash.

  4. Scatter crumbled gorgonzola on top of filling, tucking it in and around the pears. Place the entire tart in the freezer. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  5. When the oven is preheated, remove the tart from the freezer and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, move the tart to the top rack of the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes more, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling slightly.

  6. Allow the galette to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing it into wedges. Serve with a glass of Wagner Vineyard’s Riesling Ice Wine!