Alright, Team. Halloween is over, the leaves are actually changing in Georgia and it’s November…That’s right. It’s Thanksgiving season. Game on.
I thought I’d get the turkey day ball rolling with my these cranberry galettes, because, well, I like baking. I also really like baking with cranberries. I think it’s something about how vibrant cranberries are. I mean, the color alone is just gorgeous. Then there’s the flavor – super tart with a hint of bitterness. Love it or hate it, you have to admit that cranberries are unabashedly what they are, which is a trait I admire in life.
Speaking of being unabashedly oneself, I’ve been watching an Australian television show lately called the Miss Fisher Mysteries, a period piece about a female detective in the 1920′s. Miss Fisher is free-spirited, strong-willed woman who unapologtically loves and lives life to the fullest. I love the character and am really enjoying the series. There’s also a super sexy subplot of an unspoken attraction between Miss Fisher and the local Inspector Detective. It’s one of those things acknowledged only through a look, a touch, but never consummated. It’s amazing how sexy the mixture of bold and subtle can be.
With that combo in mind, I set out to make my galette. The cranberries take care of the main, bold flavor. I decided to use dates, apricots and honey to round out the flavor while sweetening the mix, and the spices and orange to bring a hint of the holidays. Wrap up the cranberry filling in a flaky pie dough and top with a dollop of Grand Marnier and you’ve got a holiday dessert worth eating.
- Cranberry Filling
- 1 oz Dates (3 to 4)
- 1 oz Dried Apricots (3 to 4)
- ¼ C Boiling Water
- 12 oz Cranberries
- ½ C Orange Juice
- Peel of 1 Orange
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 6 Cloves
- 2 Tbsp Raw Honey
- Pinch Salt
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- Pie Dough
- 12.5 oz All Purpose Flour
- 8 oz Butter, cubed and very cold
- up to 4 oz Water, ice cold
- 2 tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- Egg Wash
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tbsp Cream
- 1 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar
- Whipped Cream
- ¾ C Heavy Cream, very cold
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla Paste or Extract
- 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
- Filling
- Combine the dates, apricots and boiling water in a small blender or food processor. Let the fruit soak in the water for at least 5 minutes, then blend them together to make a sweet paste.
- Combine the cranberries, orange juice, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, honey and salt in a pot. Scrape in the date paste.
- Bring the filling to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the berries burst and the mixture begins to thicken.
- Remove the filling from the heat and let cool, removing the cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange peel once fully cooled.
- Galette Dough
- Combine the flour, butter, salt, sugar and approximately ½ of the water in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the dough is moistened and the butter in pieces in a variety of sizes, pea sized to the size of a nickel. The butter chunks are what makes the dough nice and flaky. If the dough seems too dry, add the rest of the water a bit at a time until moistened. The dough will be somewhat shaggy, so turn it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it into a cohesive dough. Wrap it up in the plastic and put it in the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight.
- Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into quarters and return three of them to the refrigerator. Roll out each piece to just over ⅛th inch thick.
- Spread about ¼ C of the filling in the center of each piece of rolled out dough, making sure to leave at least a 1" border around the edge.
- Fold the edges of the dough up over the filling, pleating the dough as necessary.
- Transfer the galettes
- Whisk together the egg and cream and brush the wash over the dough of the assembled galettes. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the galettes.
- If the dough has warmed up considerably, put the galettes in the freezer for about 10 minutes before putting in the oven.
- When ready to cook the galettes, put them in the lower third of the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the dough is browned and fully cooked.
- Remove the galettes from the oven and let fully cool before serving.
- To Serve
- Just before serving, combine the cream, brown sugar sugar and vanilla for the whipped cream in a bowl and whip up to stiff peaks. Add the grand marnier and whisk the liquor into the cream.
- Spoon the cream over the galettes and serve.
If you’re giving thanks for this recipe,
you may want to add these to your cornucopia:
Cranberry Pecan Tart | Peaches Please
Cranberry-Ginger Pear Pie | Brown Eyed Baker
Cranberry Sage Pie | Food 52
Pumpkin Cranberry and Pecan Pie | Beantown Baker
Apple Cranberry Pie with Honey-Bourbon Caramel | Sassy Radish
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