Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust

 Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust – a cozy fall dessert, that is easy to make-  perfect for fall gatherings, holidays and parties. A delicious rustic tart can be made ahead!

Hello fall! I’m loving these brisk fall days with all the red and yellow leaves swirling in the breeze.  The prettiest time of year in my opinion! I couldn’t let October get away without making one of my favorite fall desserts – a Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust – a very autumnal dessert, perfect for fall gatherings and grown-up Halloween parties. This version is filled with cardamom and vanilla scented pears, enclosed in an earthy walnut crust.  Not too sweet, the Pear Galette satisfies without being overly cloying. And of course it’s delicious with vanilla ice-cream.

This year I’ve partnered with California Walnuts and couldn’t be more delighted. The addition of walnuts to the crust really gives it another layer of flavor and complexity, along with an incredible crisp texture. Plus walnuts are nutritious, heart-healthy¹ and offer good fats. They are also low in cholesterol and are the only nut with a significant amount of plant-based omega-3 ALA (2.5 grams/ounce). A delicious way to incorporate more walnuts into our diet!

Not coincidentally, pears and  walnuts are in season at the same time, in early fall, which in my mind, means they absolutely belong together! 

Such a happy marriage of flavors…

Make the simple walnut dough and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to a few days before, to let the flour  fully hydrate.

Toss the fresh pears with sugar, cardamom, vanilla and lemon.

When the galette comes out of the oven, it will be beautifully golden and oh so fragrant. The walnut crust, crisps up beautifully.

Let it cool just a bit before cutting.

Then dig in and enjoy.

The leftovers make a luxurious breakfast, perfect with morning coffee.

I hope you give this Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust, a try this fall season, I know you will love it!

Here are more Cozy Fall Recipes you may enjoy!

Happy week!

xo

Rustic Pear Tart with Walnut Crust

Rustic Pear Galette with Walnut Crust – a cozy fall dessert that is easy to make-  perfect for fall gatherings, holidays and parties. A delicious rustic tart that can be made ahead.

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine
• Prep Time: 60 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
• Yield: 8
• Category: dessert, sweets, fall dessert
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: Northwest

Ingredients

Crust

• ¾ cup walnuts
• ⅓  cup sugar
• ¾  teaspoon salt
• 10.5 ounces all-purpose flour, about  1  2/3 cups
• 6 ounces cold butter (¾ of a stick)
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 2-3 large semi ripe pears- not to hard, not too soft ( 2 lbs)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cardamon,
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse repeatedly, until ground, like course sand. Add flour, sugar, salt and pulse. Cut butter into 8-10 pieces and pulse repeatedly, again to consistency of course sand. Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing until dough clumps and forms a ball. You may need to add another tablespoon -check dough by pinching it together. If it feels crumbly add another tablespoon water, if it sticks together well, it is fine. Place on a floured surface, gather into a ball, flatten with the palm of your hand, gather  again into a ball, flatten again. Form into a ball, flatten to an inch thick disk and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. This will allow the flour to hydrate.
2. After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 400F
3. Pull dough out of the fridge, and let sit for 20- 30 minutes.
4. Cut the pears in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a melon baller. Slice into ⅓  inch slices. Toss with sugar, spices, vanilla and lemon, zest, salt and flour.  Let stand until the pears release their liquid and the sugar dissolves, about 15 minutes.
5. Place the dough in between two lightly floured pieces of parchment and gently roll into a disk about 14 inches wide ( ⅛ -¼ inch thick)  rolling out from the middle and keeping the edges a little thicker.  If the edges get too thin, you can fold them over towards the middle about ⅛ –  ¼ inch to strengthen them so they don’t tear. Place this on a sheet pan ( over the parchment).  At this point if  dough feels too warm, put it back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes so it firms up, so it’s easier to fold the edges up.
6. Using a slotted spoon, arrange the pears in in the center of the dough leaving a 1 ½ inch border. (Do not “dump” the pears onto the tart shell, it may have too much liquid).  Fold the edges up and around the pears, pleating and folding a bit. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to use all the liquid from the pears, unless you think they seem dry. A little juice is good, but not too much. Dot the pears with butter if you like.
7. Egg wash the crust if you like for a shine, sprinkle with course sugar and bake 30 – 40 minutes at 400F, or until golden and bubbling.
8. Wait 10-15 minutes before cutting into it.
9. Enjoy!

Keywords: pear dessert recipes, fall recipes, pear tart, pear galette, rustic galette, walnut crust, pear dessert recipe, pear recipes, best galette crust

¹Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One ounce of walnuts provides 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat, including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant-based omega-3.