Fall Pear Galette

Last night I made pear crumble, and tonight I'm making another dessert with pears, perfect to finish off an autumn meal. My galette didn't come out quite as elegantly as I hoped, since I was using pre-made (vegan!) pie dough from Wholly Wholesome. The dough comes fitted into a pie plate; however, if you thaw it, you can roll it out and shape as desired. It was more my impatience than anything else that meant my rolling was a tad uneven, resulting on a rather jagged crust. Normally, however, the process should work just fine, or, if you prefer, you can make pie dough at home with your favorite vegan recipe, then follow the instructions below:

Roll 1 (9-ounce) pie dough into an 11-inch circle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with cooking spray; place the dough on the foil, then set aside.

Next, the original recipe called for 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar, so I used the sharp cheddar Sheese, available online at veganessentials.com. Sprinkle the 'cheese' evenly over the crust, leaving about a 1-inch border.

Next, peel and core 5 ripe pears, and cut into 1-inch slices. The original recipe suggested either Bartlett or D'Anjou pears, so I actually used a mixture - 3 of the latter and 2 of the former. In a large bowl, combine the pear slices with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg; toss well to coat. Add 1/4 cup organic brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, then toss gently to combine.

Arrange the pear mixture evenly over the crust, leaving about a 2-inch border - your pears will be piled quite high, but don't worry! They will shrink down during cooking. Fold the edges of the pie crust toward the center, forming a rim around the pears.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Soon before serving, place 1/3 cup vegan sugar (such as Wholesome Sweeteners) in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring as needed so it dissolves evenly - it should take about 4 minutes. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 1 minute, until the mixture turns golden. Drizzle this 'caramel' sauce over the galette.











Divide the galette into 8 wedges for 8 desserts of 300 calories each.

Cost:
frozen pie shell $4.39
Bartlett pears $3.64
D'Anjou pears $2.84