Not sure you are but it’s bluberry season where I am so it’s the perfect excuse to whip out some pastries and make a blueberry galette. “Galette” is a French word to describe what is essentially a flat round tart and the filling combinations for these galettes are endless; savory or sweet. But today, our focus are on the blueberries.

Let me share this beautiful free-form tart that celebrates the simplicity of fresh blueberries wrapped in flaky pastry. This rustic French dessert proves that sometimes the simplest combinations create the most memorable results, especially when served warm with cold ice cream.

Why This Recipe Works

After making countless galettes, I’ve found that the success lies in the balance between sweet berries and buttery pastry, with just enough sugar to enhance but not overwhelm the fruit’s natural flavor. The free-form shape makes this dessert both approachable and forgiving for home bakers.

Understanding Your Components

Bluberry filling: A galette’s filling needs to strike the perfect balance of sweet and tanginess

• Blueberries: Fresh berries provide natural sweetness and flavour. You could also use frozen blueberries if it’s not in season for you, but remember that frozen blueberries will bleed a deeper colour and won’t be as vibrant as fresh berries. Other types of berries are also great options.
• Sugar enhances flavor
• Cornstarch thickens filling and prevents it from becoming too watery. A watery filling will make your pastry soggy and we don’t want that!
• Lemon adds brightness and cuts through the sweetness of the blueberry
• Cinnamon brings warmth and flavour
• Pinch of salt enhances flavors

Pastry Base: While traditionally made with pie dough, this recipe uses puff pastry which also creates delicious results:

• Puff pastry or pie crust are good options – depends on the texture you’re looking: flaky or crumbly
• Make sure your dough stays cold until use. Leave it in the freeze and then thaw 5 minutes before you need to shape
• Roll to even thickness for even baking
• Create a faint border with a butter knife so you know where to put the blueberries and where to fold.
• Egg wash for color and allows the sugar to stick to the pastry
• Raw sugar adds crunch

Assembly: Proper technique ensures success:

• Leave adequate border so there’s enough dough for you to fold over
• Don’t overfill center

Tips!

• Work quickly to keep the pastry cold. We don’t want the butter in the pastry to melt before we bake, otherwise the pastry will not be flaky when baked.
• Don’t stretch dough, again we don’t want the butter to melt!
• Create neat pleats for presentation
• Taste berries for sweetness and adjust sugar accordingly

Storage and Reheating Guide

• Best served warm from oven
• Leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat in the oven until crispy again
• Add ice cream just before serving

Remember: The beauty of a galette lies in its rustic nature – don’t aim for perfection! The irregular shape and bubbling fruit juices are part of its charm.

Ingredients

300g blueberries, washed and dried
¼ cup sugar
1 lemon, zest
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
salt 
Raw cane or turbinado or demerara sugar
Ice-cream

Feel free to use a combination of different berries or whatever you have on hand.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C / 425F. Leave the puff pastry out to thaw.
2. In a bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon, cornstarch and a sprinkle of salt. Use a spoon or your hands to mix well.
3. For aesthetics purposes, you can cut the puff pastry sheet into a circle. You can skip this step if you want a more rustic look.
4. Place the blueberry mixture in the center of the puff pastry sheet, leaving a 2-3cm/2inch border. Carefully, fold the edges towards the center and over each other.
5. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and sprinkle sugar over the egg-washed edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve with ice-cream.