This thyme and plum galette is a wonderfully rustic and easy dessert to make when you want something tasty. Seasoned with thyme and ginger and topped with a little ice cream makes this a perfect summer treat.
When plums are in season this is a great dessert to make. It is light and easy to make. I am also a fan of the rustic look, and it goes well with a huge scoop of ice cream. The thyme and ginger go well with the plums and lemon. If you like having a dessert that is attractive to the eye and tummy and don’t want to do a lot of work, then this dessert is right up your alley. Plus, this makes a great dessert for date night.
In this recipe
This is a simple recipe when it comes to ingredients. You will be able to get ahold of everything easily.
Short crust pastry: you can check out my recipe here or you can also use premade, store-bought crust for this dessert.
Plums: fresh are best as they will keep their shape when cooking. See below on choosing the best plums.
Ginger: enhances the flavors of the plums, can be fresh or powder.
Brown sugar: adds a light caramel flavor to the galette.
Choosing the best plums
There are a few tricks to finding the best plums and the first one I always look for is the weight. The plums should feel heavy for their size. Next is the smell, like the most flavorful of fruit they should smell sweet and like a plum. Avoid any that don’t have a smell as they aren’t ripe yet. Also, they should be firm and give a little but not mushy, and there shouldn’t be any black spots on the skin as well as the skin should be smooth, evenly colored, and unblemished.
Making the filling
One of the cool things about galettes is that they are really just a pie without a pan/tin. They have a nice rustic look, but the filling is so easy to make. Before you add the plums, you want to mix all of the other filling ingredients together and then rub in the thyme and lemon zest. You want to be able to smell them before you add the plums. This will release the flavors into the filling. Then toss the plums into the mixture. This may also pull out some of the juice but that is ok.
Assemble the plum galette
Once the dough has been rolled out it is time to get started assembling the galette. This is a pretty easy step although it might take a little bit depending on if you would like a design or not. You can simply dump all of the slices onto the dough and spread out until they are all in a single layer. Or you can make concentric rings or rows depending on the shape of the dough. In any case make sure to fold the edges of the dough up around all of the sides.
Baking and serving the galette
This is the easy part. Once the dough has been brushed and dusted with turbinado sugar you are ready to bake. The crust will turn a nice golden brown, but I like to take a peek at the bottom of the galette. If it is still pale, then I advise using foil or a pie crust shield to cover the exposed crust. If the bottom is too pale, then the dough will come out mushy. Also, there might be a little leakage and that is ok. However, let the galette cool to prevent too much from leaking out.
Looking for other pastry recipes?
Thyme and Plum Galette
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment lined sheet pan
- Pastry brush
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Short crust pastry or pie shell
- 1½ pounds plums cut into eighths
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon thyme fresh
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ tablespoon turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C, or gas mark 4.
- In a mixing bowl combine the salt, sugars, ginger, thyme, lemon zest, and cornstarch. Rub the mixture between your fingers until you can smell the thyme and lemon. Add the plums and toss until they are evenly coated.
- Roll out the short crust pastry and place on a sheet pan or round baking sheet. Arrange the plums on the pastry. If using a rectangle/square arrange in rows, or if making a circle arrange in a circle. Then fold the remaining crust over the ends of the fruit.
- Combine the cream and egg and stir until mixed. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over the crust and then dust with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Nutrition
