Simple Pear Galette with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

If you asked me to name my favorite fruit, I'd answer you with whatever is in season at the time.  Strawberries in early summer, peaches in August, apples and pears in October.  Sweet, a little tart and so very juicy this time of year, pears don't need to be baked into a galette to be enjoyed, but Oh how delicious they tasted tossed with a couple of warm spices, a bit of lemon juice and some brown sugar and baked into a wonderfully simple free-form pie.  

This dessert was a breeze, thanks to store-bought pastry dough.  Of course, you can always make your own pie crust (which I'm sure would taste even more amazing!) but using the pre-made kind allowed me to put this delicious rustic galette together in less than 10 minutes.  Since our family consists of just Brian and I, I didn't want too much of this sitting around (just too much temptation for me) so I halved the recipe which required me to trim the pie crust to remove a little less than half of the dough.  

I started with a 9'' pie crust (I used Pillsbury) which I lightly rolled out on a floured surface until it was 10 inches across.  Then, since it's a rustic tart I didn't really worry too much about getting it to be a perfect circle, I just estimated a 7-8'' circle and trimmed the dough using a sharp paring knife.

The original recipe combines apples and pears but I just wanted to focus on the beautiful pears that are in season now, leaving my beloved stash of Honeycrisp apples for me to crunch on one at a time, drizzled with my cinnamon almond butter dip.

Simple Pear Galette

serves 4

adapted from The Kitchn

1 pre-made refrigerated pie crust, gently rolled out to a 10'' diameter and then trimmed to a 7 or 8'' circle (discard scraps) - keep refrigerated until ready to assemble

3 pears, peeled and cored (I used Bartlett but any ripe pears would do)

juice of 1/2 of a lemon

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coriander

scant 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Thinly slice pears and transfer to a large bowl.  Toss pears with the lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, all spices and salt.  Remove prepared pie crust (see notes above on trimming pie crust to size) from refrigerator and  transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.  Spoon fruit onto center of pie crust, leaving about 1 inch free around the perimeter, then fold the pastry up around the edges.  Bake 30 minutes or until crust is browned and crispy around the edges and bottom.  Cool to room temperature and serve with cinnamon whipped cream.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

serves 4

half pint heavy whipping cream - very cold

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Either by hand or using a stand mixer, whisk cold whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon and continue to whisk until desired consistency is met.