Summer is winding down and school starts in just a few days — where did the time go? I wanted to hold on to the last tastes of summer, and this simple, rustic blueberry galette felt like the perfect way to do that. My mom spotted the recipe in the latest Bon Appétit and asked me to make it repeatedly until I finally obliged. I’m so glad she did — it turned out fantastic. Let’s get baking.
This galette is essentially a relaxed, rustic, and easier take on blueberry pie. The crust combines flour, toasted pecans, cold butter, a pinch of salt, and just a bit of sugar. The filling is generous with fresh blueberries, brightened with lemon juice and thickened with a touch of cornstarch, plus a modest amount of sugar. For such a delicious summer dessert, the sugar content is surprisingly low — so if you want to feel a little virtuous while indulging, this helps.
I love all berries, but when it comes to desserts I often reach for raspberries — I’m biased toward combinations like raspberries with chocolate or with lemon. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits to snack on plain or with yogurt, but I sometimes forget to use them in baking. This galette is a great reminder of how lovely they are in desserts, and they also work wonderfully in drinks like lemonade or sangria.
On a personal note, I recently restarted a diet after a summer of too much work and, truth be told, far too much homemade ice cream. I’ve been eating more vegetables than usual and avoiding flour and sugar for now, so while I stole a longing glance (and a stray blueberry), I didn’t indulge in a full slice. If you’re not restricting yourself, go ahead and enjoy a generous piece — it’s worth it. I’ll save my splurge for something with chocolate, but you should definitely bake this one while blueberries are at their peak. Happy baking!
P.S. If you want a savory galette, try a zucchini ricotta version I made a few years back.
{recipe from Bon Appetit/July 2015}
blueberry galette
15 mins
50 mins
1 hr 5 mins
Ingredients
- for the crust
- ½ cup pecans
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- for the filling
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar, plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Toast the pecans in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly darkened.
- Chop the toasted pecans in a food processor, then combine them in a large bowl with the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse sand.
- Add 3–4 tablespoons of cold water, just until the dough comes together. Pat into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
- In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Pile the filling in the center of the dough and gently fold the edges over to form a crust.
- Brush the crust lightly with milk and sprinkle with a bit of extra sugar. Bake 45–50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden and crisp.
- Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of ice cream.