Sweet Friday - Raspberry Galette

It is safe to say that the residents at the Shady Pine have a sweet tooth. That is to say, if it even remotely resembles dessert, it is not safe here. Before I met Mr Shady Pine, I was a fun loving savoury girl who could take or leave sweets or desserts. Yes of course they were a treat and a coffee out with girlfriends was made better with a decadent piece of cake. But given the choice between cheese and crackers and a piece chocolate mud cake, it was cheese and crackers for me....back then.

Oh how times have changed. Over the years, tempted by all the treats kept in the house,a symptom of Mr Shady Pine's sweet tooth, I too started developing a taste for the sweeter things in life. These days though we both keep the treats to a minimum but do indulge on occasion.

When I indulge in dessert, I like it to be the real deal. For me that means no low fat, low sugar and no horrible commercial sugars, syrups or trans fats thank you very much. If it's not the real deal I would rather not have it at all. I prefer home made desserts. Often for me this is a pice of cake, and not even fancy cake, but just a simple cake to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee.

This post isn't about cake. I did however have butter puff pastry and raspberries in the freezer needing to be used. Inspired by the more traditional apple galette, I decided to make a raspberry version. Being in a rush, I didn't even allow the raspberries to fully defrost (as you can see in the photo below) before using them but it didn't make a difference to the end result.

This recipe is actually very quick and easy and the end result looks impressive. I like to serve galettes while still warm with a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream. This would be a really easy dinner party dessert which you can make ahead of time up to step 5 and just pop in the oven when ready for dessert.

Raspberry Galette
Serves 4

1 sheet frozen butter puff pastry, defrosted
150gm raspberries fresh or frozen
1 Tbs raw sugar

Frangipane:
50gm semi melted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup almond meal
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbs plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Preheat oven to 200C or 400 F.
2. Cut the pastry in half to create two rectangles. Score a half inch border around the edges of each pastry rectangle without cutting through the pastry.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine all the frangipane ingredients and mix really well, ensuring that the butter is fully incorporated into the mixture.
4. Spread half of the frangipane mixture onto the first pastry rectangle taking care not to go outside the borders. Repeat with the other pastry rectangle.
5. Spread the raspberries on each pastry rectangle directly on top of the frangipane. Sprinkle the raw sugar on top of the raspberries.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry and frangipane is golden brown and the pastry has puffed up. Best served with good quality vanilla ice cream.