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Tartine’s Fruit Galettes with thanks to Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

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If ever there was a moment for making these free-form rustic pastries, it’s right now.  The
markets are bursting at the seams with the most beautiful stone fruits and
berries of every description.  The peaches, nectarines and cherries are irresistible and this recipe is a perfect way to use them paired with blueberries. Last weekend we had very special guests, our friend Julie and her 10-year old daughter and budding pastry chef, Lucy.


Andrew is an incredibly good and generous teacher.  His patience is matched only by his enthusiasm
and he loves sharing his quite formidable baking skills. Knowing that Lucy was anxious
to start baking with him the moment she arrived, he did ‘the hard part’
himself. He made all the pastry in advance.
When Lucy walked in the door, she could hardly wait to get started.  She very diligently rolled out the
dough.  Then she and Andrew prepared the
fruits and berries and made them into these delicious individual galettes which were then topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and served.  And we all became grateful recipients of these delicious little pies that were made with another secret ingredient: fun!
Elisabeth and Chad at Tartine


First some background on “Tartine” which is both the
name of a great baking cookbook and that of a neighborhood bakery and cafe right in the center of San Francisco (Tartine Bakery, 600 Guerrero St, San Francisco CA 94110 (Tel: 415-487-2600).  Its chef/owners are husband and wife Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt.  Starting their bakery careers in the tiny kitchen of their Victoran cottage in Marin County CA, these two have stayed true to their philosophy of using fresh, seasonal ingredients and giving great attention to detail.
The Tartine cookbook’s only challenge is which recipe to make first.
It strikes me that right now you just can’t go wrong with these
galettes.  And if you have children in the house, it’s a great way to introduce them to making pastry because these rustic fruit pies don’t have to look like a perfectly rolled crust neatly piped around the edges.  Instead they are a snap to put together and meant to look truly hand-made.  Andrew chose local peaches and cherries, some gorgeous nectarines and some particularly luscious blueberries for his and Lucy’s versions.  You can wait till later in the season and make these with sautéed sliced apples or pears.  But why wait when you can have these gorgeous treats right now?    

        I must admit, I was astonished as the crust came together. Elisabeth and Chad are expert at explaining a recipe in such detail that at first it looks quite intimidating.  But don’t be put off.  Just reading through the recipe will make you feel more confident, even if this is a technique you’ve
never tried before.
 A word about the flour: Pastry Flour will give you the best crust.  However, you can certainly go with all purpose flour completely and you will still achieve a lovely buttery, flaky crust .  And it will all be worth the effort especially when you fill each one with beautiful fresh fruit, coat it with granulated sugar and pull it out of the oven, serving it warm with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.  Here is the recipe:



5 thoughts on “Tartine’s Fruit Galettes with thanks to Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery, San Francisco”

  • I am so lucky I went and swam laps this a.m, so I can sooo do this.. Shame on you Monte, how am I ever gonna get out of my harem pants and into shorts if I don't stop?! I'll deal with it later.. C; Anyway, I actually am going to cheat as I have puffed pastry ready and I'm hungry NOW, however, this will be added to the must do list, K? Forward on Tartine by Alice Waters, nice! Beautiful book – Tartine. Thank you Monte!

  • Another fab galette filling for you to try:

    ITALIAN PLUMS. Hopefully in my market sooooon!
    Sprinkle 1 – 2 tbsp ground almonds on crust before topping with plums (cut into quarters or sixths – depending on size of plums).

    Montreal Bubbles

  • Montrealaise! Just wanted you to know that we went to the Farm stand today and bought enormous black plums which, combined with some blueberries are now in the oven. I will send you a picture when they come out. Many thanks for the suggestion. It sounds like a complete winner.

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