I had never made a galette, but wanted to for a long, long time. I received Martha Stewart’s Cooking School two years ago for Christmas and flipped through the recipes and techniques, reading every word. This galette caught my eye and I put a little orange post-it on the page for later.

Martha’s galette was filled with ripe plums and as soon as they’re in season, I’m all over that one. Jump ahead to June 2010 and me picking up some sweet blackberries from Trader Joe’s and peaches were on sale. Peach and blackberry have been a winning combo for me since I made a trifle with both because it was what I had on hand. This was several years back when I was first exploring desserts and it’s had a soft spot in my heart ever since. Once the fruit hit my shopping cart, I knew I had to make something with them. Then I remembered Martha’s beautiful galette.

That Saturday I made my first galette and it was a big success. Minus my mini panic-attack when the juices seeped out of the edge and bubbled and blackened in the corner of my rimmed baking sheet. However luck was on my side and the burnt sugar came off quite easily with some hot, hot water. If this happens to you, be careful when scrubbing the sugar. I got a small cut on my finger from the shards of hardened sugar. My brain knows not to touch sharp things, but the other side of my brain was like, “It’s just sugar!”

I highly recommend this easy recipe that comes together quickly with impressive results. Marc was outside mowing the lawn and came back inside right when the galette came out of the oven and he looked at it and said, “That looks fancy.” So there you have it. Make this easy free-form pie and impress your friends.

Recipe: Pate Brisee

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Makes enough for 2 galettes

2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. coarse salt

1 C. plus 2 T. (2 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

7 T. ice water, plus more if needed

1. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine (or whisk together by hand in a bowl).

2. Add butter to dry ingredients and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 seconds (or cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingertips). The mixture should have pieces ranging from coarse crumbs to the size of small peas.

3. Add the ice water (start with 7 T. and add up to 2 T. more, if necessary) and pulse until dough just  holds together when pinched. Do not process longer than 30 seconds. The mixture should retain a crumbly texture at this point; it should not be sticky.

4. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Knead once or twice to incorporate loose bits. Divide in half. Pat each half into a thick disk, then place on a piece of plastic wrap and gather wrap to flatten disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.

Recipe: Fruit Galette

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serve 6 to 8

1/2 recipe pate brisee, chilled

all-purpose flour for dusting

3 C. fruit, I used 2 C. of blackberries and 2 sliced peaches

1 lemon, juiced

1/3 C. sugar (if your fruit is tart, use a little more)

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. coarse salt

1 large whole egg

1 T. milk or heavy cream

sanding sugar or granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

2. Let chilled dough sit out at room temperature until slightly malleable, about 10 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 14 inch round (it does not have to be a perfect circle). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet by rolling it around the rolling pin, the unrolling onto the sheet; refrigerate 15 minutes.

3. Mix together fruit, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Remove pastry from refrigerator and arrange fruit over center, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border all around. Fold border over filling, the dough will naturally fall into creases.

4. Whisk together egg and milk (or cream) and brush over the edges of the galette. Sprinkle crust generously with sugar. Bake until filling is bubbling in the center and crust is dark golden brown, about 1 hour. Mine was done before the hour was up.

5. Run an offset spatula under the tart to release it from the sheet. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Transfer galette to rack, and let cool completely before serving. Galette is best eaten the same day.