Welcome to By Guess and By Golly, a project that has slowly evolved over the years and which I'm so excited to finally share here in this space. "By guess and by golly" is a phrase my grandmother used on me frequently and one that's become sort of a life motto. It means to learn by doing. Trial and error. Figuring it out as we go. She mostly used it in regards to cooking and recipes but I think it's a pretty dynamite philosophy for life in general.
This year my husband and I are sharing our first year of marriage, living in our first house, raising our first puppy. We're living a lot by guess and by golly, which is both thrilling and terrifying. It also feels like a natural time to get this project going, if for no other reason than to have a creative outlet. Our home centers around our kitchen, so consequently this blog will mostly center around food - recipes, dishes, and meals to be shared with your loved ones. We'll sprinkle a few other things in here and there. I hope that there will be something here that resonates with you. Thanks for following along.
HONEYED PLUOT & THYME GALETTES
This is late summer at it's very finest. It was a total accident that evolved out of a lazy moment when I couldn't be bothered to go ahead with a full pie. You can substitute other stone fruit like plums or late-season nectarines, or figs. Choose a neutral flavored honey like clover to let the flavor of the fruit and wine come through. Or, forget everything I said and choose something herbaceous like lavender or sage honey to add another level of flavor.
Pastry
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
1 tablespoon cane sugar
pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and chilled until very cold
1/4 to 1/3 cup very cold water
Filling
1.5 pounds firm but ripe pluots
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons port wine
splash of balsamic vinaigrette
pinch of kosher salt
leaves from 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, plus extra sprigs for garnish
Assembly
1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
turbinado sugar
Make the pastry. Mix together the pastry flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter pieces and toss in flour mixture. Using your hands and moving quickly to keep the butter cold, work the butter into the flour mixture. I find it helpful to "squish" the butter between my thumbs and forefingers into flake-like pieces. Continue working with your hands until the mixture is crumbly; you'll still have some bigger pieces of butter remaining. Alternately, you can us a food processor and pulse just a few times. Slowly drizzle the water in a tablespoon at a time until the mixture just comes together when you press it with the palm of your hand. You may use slightly less or more water. Gather dough into a flat disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
While the pastry is chilling preheat your oven to 400F and make the filling. Slice pluots into 1/4-inch wedges and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the honey, wine, balsamic vinaigrette, salt and thyme. Pour over the pluots.
Divide the chilled dough into 6 equal pieces. On a floured board roll each piece into a circle about 1/4-inch thick and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange the pluot slices in a pretty pattern in the center of each dough circle, leaving a 1-inch border. Pour any remaining honey mixture over the pluots. Fold or pleat the dough over the filling, pressing to adhere. Brush the dough with egg wash (if using) and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Chill galettes for 10 minutes prior to baking to set the dough. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, rotate, and decrease temperature to 375F for remaining 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden browned and juices are bubbling.
Serve warm or room temperature and garnish with freshly whipped cream and thyme.
Yields 6 galettes