Blueberry-Ginger Galette with Pecan Crust

A galette, aka a rustic pie, is the ideal vehicle for containing ripe, juicy, sweet summer fruits for a perfectly imperfect dessert. Use this recipe as a guide for whatever fruits you have on hand – raspberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches, pluots, etc – don’t overthink this folks. Galettes are best after sitting for several hours or overnight (allowing all those juices to settle and firm up a bit), so they’re a great make-ahead dessert for summer dinner parties. All you need is a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or whipped cream or creme fraiche) to top it all off!

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Blueberry-Ginger Galette with Pecan Crust

Author:
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

ingredients:

Pecan Galette Dough
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Blueberry Filling
  • 12 ounces blueberries (about 2 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or more, if you really like ginger)
  • 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • All-purpose flour (for surface)
  • 2 tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream

instructions:

How to cook Blueberry-Ginger Galette with Pecan Crust

Make the dough
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 10–15 minutes; let cool. Pulse pecans in a food processor until the consistency of coarse meal. 
  2. In the same food processor as the ground pecans, add flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and pulse just to combine. Add cold, chopped butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse a few more times to mix. 
  3. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and mix quickly with your hands, adding another tablespoonful of water if needed, just until the dough comes together in a ball. Pat dough into a 6"-diameter disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.  
Filling and Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Toss blueberries, tapioca flour (or cornstarch), lemon juice, grated ginger (I use a microplane to grate ginger) and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl.
  2. While the berries macerate in their juices, roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to a 12" round, 1/8" thick. Carefully transfer the parchment paper with the rolled-out dough onto a baking sheet. Mound the blueberries in center of the dough, leaving a 2" border. Carefully lift and fold the edges up and over the filling, allowing the dough to naturally pleat at 1-2 inch intervals as you fold. Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
  3. Bake galette until crust is dark golden brown and filling is bubbling, 45–55 minutes total, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Allow to cool before enjoying. Just before serving, top with scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or creme fraiche for the ultimate galette experience.
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Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is an unexpected plant-based twist on chocolate mousse, with sweet potato as the secret ingredient that transforms this usually decadent dessert into a nourishing treat. This take on a chocolate mousse is also dairy free, with creamy coconut milk making an appearance in both the mousse and the coconut whipped cream topping. I loving making this dessert whenever I’m hosting a dinner party, because it can be prepped a day or two ahead, and it accommodates pretty much everyone’s dietary restrictions! Serves 3-4. This recipe was developed in partnership with Imperfect Produce.

 
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Vegan Sweet Potato Chocolate Mousse

ingredients

For the Chocolate Mousse
  • 2 cups sweet potato puree*
  • 5 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup thick coconut milk (from top of the can)
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup toasted pistachios | chopped
  • Flaky sea salt, optional garnish
Coconut Whipped Cream
  • 1 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

instructions

  1. Combine the sweet potato puree with the cacao powder, coconut cream (from the top of the can of coconut milk), maple syrup, vanilla extract, orange zest and salt. Blend until very smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed – I usually add a bit more salt, which really kicks the mousse up a notch. Spoon the mousse into glasses and refrigerate until chilled.
  2. While the mousse is chilling, make the coconut whipped cream: Chill the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (use this liquid for smoothies)! Place the hardened cream in a wide mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a hand mixer (or strong muscles and a whisk) until creamy. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and whip again for about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed. Use immediately or refrigerate - it will harden and set in the fridge, and keeps for up to 5 days.
  3. Serve the chocolate mousse topped with the coconut whipped cream, chopped pistachios, a dash of orange zest and flakey sea salt.

NOTES:

*COOKING TIP: To cook the sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400F. Wrap 2-3 sweet potatoes individually in foil and drizzle each potato with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife.
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Cardamom Peach Crisp

Stone fruit season is upon us in Santa Barbara, which means I'm finding every which way to use up bumper crops of peaches from the farmers' market. I love slicing peaches into salads (especially alongside fresh basil, cucumbers, and salty feta cheese), or simply roasting the halves slathered with honey and butter, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Here is my recipe for another fabulous peach-inspired dessert, a Cardamom Peach Crisp. 

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CARDAMOM PEACH CRISP

Serves: 8-10 people

Cardamom Peach Crisp

Prep time:

Cooking time:

Ingredients:

    PEACH FILLING

  • 3 pounds peaches, peeled and diced (6-7 peaches)
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca powder
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • Pinch of kosher salt

CRISP TOPPING

  • 1.5 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
  • 1/3 cup sliced or roughly chopped almonds
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, diced into small cubes
  • 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
  • Instructions:
    1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
    2. PREPARE PEACH FILLING: In a 12” cast-iron skillet (or pyrex dish), mix together the sliced peaches, honey, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and a pinch of salt.
    3. PREPARE CRISP TOPPING: In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Mix in the cubes of cold butter and use your hands to blend the butter into the other topping ingredients, until only pea-sized pieces of butter remain. Stir in 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, until the mixture is moistened throughout.
    4. BAKE THE CRISP: Dollop spoonfuls of the oat mixture over the filling and use your fingers to break up the mixture until it is evenly distributed. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is lightly golden. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.