Cooking Lesson #342: Cherry Frangipane Galette

…from the California Kitchen

How you doin’? I love using fresh cherries and fancy words. Frangipane is named after 16th century Italian nobleman Marquis Muzio Frangipani, who, while living in Paris, invented a bitter almond-scented fragrance that was used to perfume gloves. French pastry chefs were inspired and invented the recipe, which became a classic.
 
A galette resembles a type of single crust, free-form pie with a fruit filling and the crust folded partway over the top of the filling. Cherries are named for cherries—did you expect a better story? Here it is, cherries have a filial relationship with almonds—they’re kissing cousins.
 
What is Frangipane you ask? It is a sweet almond-flavored custard used in a variety of cakes and pastries. It was originally designated as a custard tart flavored by almonds or pistachios; it came later to designate a filling that could be used in a variety of confections and baked goods. It is made of butter, sugar, eggs and ground almonds… some of my very favorite things!
 
On Epiphany, the French celebrate with a King Cake—a round cake made of frangipane layers into slices to be passed by a child known as le petit roi (the little king) who is usually hiding under the dining table.  The cake is decorated with stars, a crown, flowers and a special bean hidden inside the cake. Whoever gets the piece of the frangipane cake with the bean is crowned "king" or "queen" for the following year.
 
Prep time: 20 minutes to 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes to 50 minutes
Yield:  serves 6 to 8 (1 galette)
 
Ingredients 
1/2 batch Cream Cheese Dough (see recipe below), rolled out to a 10-inch round that's about 1/8-inch thick
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for the egg wash
1 pound fresh, sweet cherries, pitted
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar or packed brown sugar, for the cherries
1 large egg (for egg wash)
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon large-crystal sugar for sprinkling
 
Directions

1. Place the dough circle on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 10 minutes. Review recipe below.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the frangipane. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1 egg and almond extract and mix well.
4. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. Add the almond flour, tapioca starch, and sea salt and beat until fully incorporated. (If not using the frangipane right away, store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)
6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread the frangipane in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 2-inch border all around.
7. Taste the cherries for sweetness to determine how much sugar you want to use to sweeten them. Scatter the cherries evenly over the frangipane, then sprinkle with the sugar.
8. Fold in the sides of the dough to cover the cherries partially, making sure not to create any valleys where the fruit juice can run out.
9. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
10. While the galette chills, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. If you have a baking stone, set it on the rack in the oven to preheat for 30 minutes.
11. Whisk together the remaining egg with a pinch of salt. Brush the egg wash over the pastry edges, then sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon large crystal sugar.
12. Bake the galette on the baking stone at high heat for 20 minutes.
13. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F, move the baking sheet to the middle rack, and continue baking until the pastry has a nice, dark golden brown color and the fruit is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes more.
14. Remove from the oven and serve hot or let cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature with or without ice cream.

 
                                                                   Cream Cheese Dough

Yield:  One 9-inch or 10-inch double-crust pie

Ingredients 
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1-1/2 cups oat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cream cheese, very cold
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Cornstarch or tapioca starch, for rolling
 
Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine all the dry ingredients and blend to mix well.
2. Add the cream cheese and butter and pulse about 15 times, then let the food processor run just until the dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth, about 20 seconds. You should still be able to see some butter and cream cheese chunks.
3. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls and shape each ball into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. To roll out, place a dough disk on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Roll to 1/8 inch thick, rolling from the center evenly out in all directions. Dust with additional cornstarch as needed to resist sticking.
5. Cut out a circle 2 inches larger than the paddle. Carefully lift and transfer to a paddle, easing the dough to the paddle but not stretching or pressing too firmly, or it will shrink during baking.
6. If the dough tears, just patch with a little extra dough, pressing gently to adhere.
7. Trim the dough level with the top of the pan. (Any leftover dough scraps can be frozen for future use or used as a simple cookie dough).
8. Place the dough shell in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.
9. Using a fork, dock the bottom of the dough shell approximately every 2 inches.
10. Follow the directions above.

ChefSecret:  Before starting, make sure you have a cherry pitter which you can easily buy for under $20. I like the OXO Good grips multi-cherry pitter.  

Quip of the Day: “I’m not sure which is harder on a relationship—sharing a bathroom with 1 sink or sharing an iPhone charger for an hour.”
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