Prune and Apple Galettes

Galettes are very thin discs of flaky pastry which, unlike conventional tarts, have no sides. The concept is a good one because the pastry is barely there, yet it gives a light, very crisp background to all kinds of toppings, both savoury and sweet. There's no limit to what you can put on top of them – the combinations are endless, and you can serve them for a light lunch, as a first course, on a picnic or for a dessert. What I often do is freeze the pastry circles raw, interleaved with foil or greaseproof paper, so you can just whip some out for an impromptu meal any old time at all. If you don't have the right-sized cutter, just cut around a saucer of the same size.

If you can get mi-cuit plums, the lovely squashy half-dried Agen prunes from France, so much the better. If not, then pitted dried Agen prunes will be fine.

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This recipe first appeared in Sainsbury’s Magazine (Nov 1998).

Method

Make the pastry and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. Then roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm), cut out six 4 inch (10 cm) discs and arrange them on the baking sheets. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C). Now cut each apple into quarters, core and then cut each quarter into 2. Then arrange 5 prune halves and 4 slices of apple in a circle on top of each pastry round, then sprinkle over a little ground cinnamon. Now place the baking sheets in the oven for 10-12 minutes, one tray on the highest shelf, the other on the next one down, until the galettes are golden brown, swapping them over halfway through. Remove from the oven and, while they are still warm, glaze each one by brushing a little of the runny honey over the prunes and apples. Serve warm with cream or crème fraîche.