Pear Galette Recipe: How to Make Pear Galette

A pear galette is a rustic French dessert composed of free-form pastry dough topped with a sweet or savory filling. The word "galette” comes from the Norman word “gale,” meaning flat cake. Galettes are popular both for their ease of creation and their versatility.

While summer produce is most common for galettes, pear galettes are a popular autumn fruit dessert, with sliced pears folded into buttery galette dough. Apple, grape, and juicy pear galettes come together nicely for a fall dessert.

Flaky, firm galette crust is made from flour, fat (like butter, shortening, or lard), cold water (occasionally including vinegar or vodka), and salt. It is the same style of dough used to make pie crust, though they are shaped and baked differently. Tart shells, on the other hand, are made with a conventional pastry dough: flour, butter, water, and occasionally sugar, which results in a more crumbly, “short crust" when baked.

Tarts are generally the more delicate and composed of the two, featuring intricate patterning and less forgiving textures, though some variations use a crust more similar in form to a rough puff pastry. Galettes are often considered more humble and rustic—shaped freeform and often paired with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, à la mode. Whereas picture-perfect tarts are often carefully removed from their tart pan and served on their own.

A pear galette is a rustic French dessert composed of free-form pastry dough topped with a sweet or savory filling. The word "galette” comes from the Norman word “gale,” meaning flat cake. Galettes are popular both for their ease of creation and their versatility.

While summer produce is most common for galettes, pear galettes are a popular autumn fruit dessert, with sliced pears folded into buttery galette dough. Apple, grape, and juicy pear galettes come together nicely for a fall dessert.

Flaky, firm galette crust is made from flour, fat (like butter, shortening, or lard), cold water (occasionally including vinegar or vodka), and salt. It is the same style of dough used to make pie crust, though they are shaped and baked differently. Tart shells, on the other hand, are made with a conventional pastry dough: flour, butter, water, and occasionally sugar, which results in a more crumbly, “short crust" when baked.

Tarts are generally the more delicate and composed of the two, featuring intricate patterning and less forgiving textures, though some variations use a crust more similar in form to a rough puff pastry. Galettes are often considered more humble and rustic—shaped freeform and often paired with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, à la mode. Whereas picture-perfect tarts are often carefully removed from their tart pan and served on their own.