Cherry Blackberrry Galette

If you've been reading for a while, you might be wondering why I went somewhere else to pick a gazillion pounds of cherries when I have two huge, gorgeous cherry trees in my front yard. Well, while we were visiting Washington DC in April, there was a pretty nasty freeze back here at home. Right when my poor cherry trees were putting out their very first buds. Most of the flowers froze. They squeezed out a few more blooms later that month, but most of our cherry crop was dead before it ever began! We watched the few developing cherries jealously, but our timing was off again, because we went camping right as the cherries ripened enough for the birds to go nuts on them. So. This was our total cherry crop for the year:

Yaaaay...

I couldn't just toss them, and they're pie cherries, so they're a little too tart to just eat plain, so I had to find something special to use them in. Something that would do them justice, but let me pair them with something else to make up the difference. Introducing, the galette! The perfect use for ANY random summer fruits and berries you have lying around that really need to get used up. You're gonna love it! :)

Cherry Blackberry Galette
Printable Recipe

1 prepared pie crust, thawed and cool (homemade or storebought)
about 4 cups of fruit (I used about a third cherries and two-thirds blackberries)
1/2-2/3 cup sugar (depending on the tartness of the fruit you're using)
1 1/2 Tb cornstarch
1 Tb lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla, for brushing
coarse sugar and sliced almonds, for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Stir together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt and almond extract in a large bowl. Set aside

On a piece of parchment paper, roll the dough out to 12-13 inches in diameter. (Don't worry if the edges are a little rough) Pile the fruit mixture in the center, leaving about a 2-inch border around the fruit. 

Gently fold the border up around the fruit, making 5-8 creases.

Brush the folded edges of crust with the egg wash, and sprinkle the crust generously with the coarse sugar and sliced almonds (optional). Move the finished galette and parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling in the center, 30-65 minutes, until fruit juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown. Check often! (Baking times will vary greatly depending on the fruit you use. If your crust is browning too fast, cover loosely with aluminum foil. With my mix of blackberries and cherries, it took about 55 minutes to fully bake) Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. After that, transfer the parchment directly to the wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Sooo, this is why you want to make sure and use a rimmed baking sheet. I started this thing out on a rimless one, and one brave berry broke through the crust, releasing a flood of juice all over the pan (and the bottom of my oven). Lots of smoke. Rims, people. They're important!

This lovely, rustic dessert has just joined the ranks of the easiest, most impressive desserts I know!! I totally used a storebought crust. Go for it, it cuts the work time down like crazy! Mix up some filling, dump it on a crust, fold, brush, bake. And don't worry about the folding, no matter how you do it, it will look awesome. Part of the beauty of this free-form fruit pie!

I was terrified it would be soggy (or burned!) after that hour-long baking time, but it turned out perfectly! Crispy, buttery, and flakey on the sides, firm and softer but still flaky underneath. Just keep an eye on it!

Top with some cream or ice cream, and you've got a warm, tangy, summery dessert in no time. A lovely way to use up our poor, lonely cherries. :)

Shared at Treasure Box Tuesday