Cherry Galette making at kitchen & market

Few aromas are more enticing than that of a pie that has just been pulled from the oven. And while pie, as they say, may be easy – even easier is galette. Despite its somewhat fancy-sounding name, a fruit galette is a sort of free-form version of pie. It requires no pie pan, no deft pie dough crimping skills. All it takes is topping a round of pastry dough with fruit and folding the dough’s edges up to enclose it, leaving the center open to showcase the filling.

Kitchen & Market manages to take the degree of ease even further with their fruit galette kits. Each kit contains all the ingredients needed, even parchment paper for your baking sheet. “Basically, we did the grocery shopping for you,” says owner Stephanie King when demonstrating a sour cherry galette on Episode 10 of the new season of Washington Grown, which you can find on wagrown.com. Not only have they done all the shopping, they’ve provided the bonus of including a few components already prepared for you. This includes the all-butter pâte brisée dough, a container of “Magic Pie Spice” that has the perfect blend of seasonings for the filling, and even some whipped cream ready for serving with the gorgeous galette. With the ingredients comes a recipe spelling out the steps for creating the simple but elegant dessert.

Included in the Fruit Galette Kit

1 Kitchen & Market Pâte Brisée

3 cups Sour Cherries

(or other seasonal filling)

1/3 cup Kitchen & Market Magic Pie Spice

2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar

1 cup Kitchen & Market Whipped Cream

Parchment Paper

All Purpose Flour

In addition to Fruit Galette Kits, Kitchen & Market offers multiple chef-inspired meal kits and prepared foods for order in their stores or through their website. Top: Washington Grown host Kristi Gorenson had a great time making a sour cherry galette in Season 10 with Stephanie King, owner of Kitchen & Market.

Fruits provided in the kits vary with the season, a hint at just how versatile galettes can be. Sour cherries are used in the episode, and among other fruits the kits might include through the year are rhubarb, apples, stone fruits and pears.

To assemble the galette, the pâte brisée is rolled out to a circle of about 14 inches. The cherries (or whatever fruit being used) are tossed with the Magic Pie Spice, then spooned onto the dough, leaving a border of a couple of inches. Fold that edge of dough up over the fruit, pleating as you go around; the center will remain exposed, which is ideal. Brush the edge of dough lightly with water, sprinkle sugar over to provide a bit of extra sweet crunch, and bake until the pastry is well browned and the fruit bubbly, 45 minutes or so.

As noted, it doesn’t take a lot of baking prowess to pull off a delectable galette. And as King assured host Kristi Gorenson in the episode, it’s no problem if the pastry dough is a little misshapen when you roll it out. “It’s supposed to look rustic,” King tells her. These fruit galettes manage to be both rustic and elegant, with the buttery, flaky dough and delicious Washington fruit being showcased. And don’t forget the dollop of whipped cream on top.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cherries have the shortest period between flower blossom and harvest of any tree fruit (60-75 days). Washington state grows more sweet cherries than any other state in the nation.

HOW MUCH IMPACT DOES A FARMER’S MARKET HAVE?

We met with Carrie Olson, the Renton Farmers Market manager (pictured at right with Washington Grown host Tomás Guzmán). She’s managed the Renton Farmers Market for the past 10 years and shares a passion for local foods that is contagious. For 21 years, the Renton Farmers Market has offered impeccable produce, delicious baked goods and so much more. We wanted to learn more about farmers markets and how to best utilize them in our local communities.