When fresh figs are in season—perfectly ripe, plump with sweet nectar, and intoxicatingly perfumed—the best way to treat them is the simplest. This galette is nothing more than figs, pistachios, a buttery crust, and a sprinkling of vanilla sugar; simple, but it’ll leave you reeling.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 - 8 | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 35 - 45 minutes | 2 hours, or more |
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When fresh figs are in season—perfectly ripe, plump with sweet nectar, and intoxicatingly perfumed—the best way to treat them is the simplest. This galette is nothing more than figs, pistachios, a buttery crust, and a sprinkling of vanilla sugar; simple, but it’ll leave you reeling.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1-1/8 cup flour (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons almond meal
- 2 t-spoons sugar
- 1/2 t-spoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter cut into small cubes and chilled (1 stick)
- 3 - 5 tablespoons cold water
- 1/8 t-spoon ground cinnamon
For the filling:
- 1 to 1-1/4 pounds fresh black mission figs halved or quartered, depending on size
- 1-1/2 tablespoon vanilla sugar (see note)
- 1 ounce shelled pistachios slightly crushed if desired (lightly salted preferred)
- 1 egg lightly beaten (for egg wash)
- 1 t-spoon turbinado sugar (for egg wash)
Servings:
Instructions
- To start the crust dough, cut the butter into tablespoon sized pads and then all in half lengthwise. Stick them in the freezer for at least an hour.
- Load the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine everything. Drop in the butter and pulse 10 – 12 times, breaking the butter into small pea-sized pieces.
- This is where I tip the crumbly contents of the processor into a separate bowl and stir in the water, starting with 3 tablespoons—this way the butter doesn’t get too small or heated by further pulsing, and I find it easier to do the stirring in a separate bowl as opposed to the bowl of the processor. The dough should come together for the most part as you stir.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for just a minute or two so it completely comes together like a crust dough. Form into a round disk, wrap in plastic wrap and stash in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until perfectly chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Roll the dough out to about 14” in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Arrange the cut figs on the dough, leaving a 3” border around the edge. Sprinkle the figs with the vanilla sugar and scatter them with pistachios.
- Fold the naked crust border over onto the filling, creating overlapping creases with each fold.
- Brush the crust with the beaten egg, brushing a little in between the folds of the dough. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the dough is bronzed and crisp and the figs are caramelized and slightly jammy.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing into it. Serve as it is, with soft-whipped cream or with a few scoops of good, seedy vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes
- If you don't have vanilla sugar, first know that it's incredibly easy to make: fill a sterilized glass jar with white sugar, plunk in a whole vanilla bean or a seeded one the you've scraped the cavier from, and fill the rest with sugar. Seal it and let it sit in your cupboard for 1 week, give it a shake, and let it sit another few days. Viola. After that, all there is to do is add more sugar as you use it, plunking in another vanilla pod after you notice the aromatic perfume lessening over time. If you don't have it, though, carefully dot vanilla extract over the figs before sprinkling with plain white sugar.
- If your figs are slightly under ripe, substitute about a t-spoon of vanilla sugar with brown sugar to help intensify the jamminess of the fruit.
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