Last weekend I was at the Peachland Farmers Market, and it seemed like every other vendor at the market had cherries for sale. They were everywhere! I ended up buying mine from the cutest little old man there, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with them when I got home. Before I leave you with this delicious recipe, here are a few  health benefits of cherries:
- They contain powerful antioxidant compounds
- They contain vitamin C, fibre and carotenoids
- They can help reduce inflammation
- Tart cherries contain high levels of melatonin, a phytochemical that helps regulate the sleep cycle
I knew I wanted to make this recipe gluten and grain free, but I was a little bit nervous to be honest. I thought the texture of the dough would taste like cardboard and be really unappealing. I’m no stranger to a good pie crust, and I like them tender, flakey and not too dense. I didn’t have much of an expectation for this version, but I can tell you I was very surprised with how well it turned out! It’s important to follow the instructions for the crust exactly as written or you might end up with a slimy mess instead of a dough ball. If you over mix when you’re using almond flour it will quickly start to turn into a creamy texture. Make sure you just use the pulse button on your food processor and do quick little pulses until you reach that meal-like texture. Using cold butter is another important step here. Finally, make sure you refrigerate your dough for at least one hour before you try to roll it out, and also make sure your kitchen isn’t too hot when you’re ready to roll it out.
Once I rolled rolled out my dough, put the cherries over top, and was ready to fold over the edges, the dough had become so warm and it was a bit more difficult to work with. Luckily I was going for more of a rustic galette so I wasn’t too worried if it didn’t turn out totally polished. Instead of adding tons of extra arrowroot starch to my rolling pin to prevent sticking, I prefer to place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll over that. I find if you add too much extra starch, your dough will become too stiff and not as tender once it’s baked.
The cherry mixture is pretty straight forward and speaks for itself. I used sweet cherries in this recipe, but I bet tart cherries would be even more delicious. Let me know if you try it with tart cherries in the comments below 🙂
The final touches to the outside of the crust was an egg wash, followed by slivered almonds, and then once it came out of the oven I dusted it with powdered sugar. It turned out so tender and delicious and if I had some coconut milk vanilla ice-cream in the house I would have scooped that over top as soon as it came out of the oven!
Rustic Cherry Galette
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 6 tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 egg (cold)
Filling
- 3 cups cherries (pitted and sliced)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Extras
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- powdered sugar (optional)
Crust
Add all ingredients EXCEPT egg into food processor and use the pulse button to blend. Use short, quick pulses to blend until you have a course meal.
Add the cold egg to the mixture and pulse until the dough comes together.
Form the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Filling
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well.
Rolling out the dough
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12″ round circle, then transfer onto a baking sheet leaving the parchment underneath.
Scoop the cherry mixture into the centre. If you find your cherries release a lot of liquid, use a slotted spoon to scoop the cherries onto the dough leaving the extra liquid in the bowl.
Fold the edges of the dough into the centre and press together any areas that overlap.
Using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg over the dough. Then sprinkle with slivered almonds and coconut sugar.
To prevent over browning tent with aluminum foil before placing into the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.