With all windows opened

Pear & Cheddar Galette

This recipe includes a written column, a how-to video and a recipe. Please scroll to the bottom for the latter. Thank you for being here and please consider subscribing to support my work.

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An astronomer on the internet wearing a “Fuck Capitalism” t-shirt tells me to brace myself for big disruption coming this week. I close the social media application, wondering why I opened it in the first place, and I inform the cat, resting next to me on the couch, so we can both manage our expectations for the week.

I try to make it a point to spend less time watching videos from people I don’t know. I turn up the music and begin cutting the butter into small squares for my dough. Half an hour later, I magically find myself staring at the small screen on my hand again.

The first video tells me I’m a hypocrite for caring about one geopolitical crisis while ignoring another one in a different country. The second one makes a clever joke about how AI will replace all of us in the workplace, and the third one is a handsome shirtless man telling me I should be in a caloric deficit.

Scrolling through these videos reminds me of walking into a room and immediately forgetting what I wanted there. “I was looking for something,” I tell myself. Maybe realizing we’re not finding it counts as progress? Wishful thinking.

I make it a point to open my windows as much as I can before it gets too cold. Across the street, the big fancy hotel always has big fancy cars dropping off well-dressed strangers. It comforts me to hear their faint phone calls and drunken laughter. When I was a kid, I hated being alone in silence, so when my parents sent me to bed, I’d stay downstairs, curled up on the lowest, carpeted step instead. Falling asleep to the chatter, the clink of cutlery, and the sound of running water.

The oven timer goes off. The Galette is cooked.

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I made this for my friends when they came over a couple of nights ago, as an effort to stay in, cook more, and overall avoid more screens. As delicious and well received as it was, I do recommend eating it as a snack, not a dessert. The salty cheddar, caramelized pear, and soft whipped cream make for the perfect mid-afternoon pause (or an effective procrastination tool if you’re on the hunt for one). Since the filling is unadulterated with other ingredients, the taste of pear is pronounced and unapologetic, though you could easily swap for apple slices if you prefer them.

I do recommend inviting your friends over for this snack, especially if they’re having a rough time. If you’ve ever doubted the magic of cooking, you’ve clearly never whipped cream in front of a full grown man and watched him turn into an amazed toddler as you hand him a spoon to keep.

Buen provecho, and happy October.

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Pear & Cheddar Galette

Ingredients (Makes two crusts)

Crust

• 5 cups (700g) all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ cups grated aged cheddar

• 4 sticks unsalted butter

• 1 cup ice water (approx.)

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 3 tbsp granulated sugar

Filling

• 3 ripe Bosc pears

• 8 tbsp demerara sugar

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 2 eggs

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 egg (for egg wash)

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Instructions

1. Fill a bowl or container with ice and water to chill.

2. Slice the pears in half lengthwise, remove the cores, and cut into thin half moons. Add them to a bowl with 4 tbsp of demerara sugar and ½ tsp of salt. Toss well and let sit while you make the crust.

3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Place the bowl in the fridge to keep cool.

4. Working quickly, cut two sticks of butter into ½-inch slices and the other two into walnut-sized cubes. If the butter softens, place it in the freezer for 5–8 minutes.

5. Add the grated cheddar and butter pieces to the flour. Toss with your hands until coated.

6. Press and pinch the butter between your fingers to flatten the cubes. Stop when you have a variation in size of visible, flattened pieces of butter and cheese. We’re not looking for a homogenized mixture here.

7. Place the bowl back in the fridge while you finish the filling.

8. Drain most of the liquid from the pears and keep a little for flavor. Add two beaten eggs and the cornstarch. Mix gently without breaking the pear slices. Set aside.

9. Take the flour mixture and cold water from the fridge. Drizzle a tablespoon of water at a time over the flour, shaking the bowl between each addition.

10. After 3–4 spoonfuls, mix with a spoon until large, shaggy clumps form. Transfer the mixture to a clean surface.

11. Ideally using a bench scraper, toss and press the dough together, adding small spoonfuls of water if needed. It should start to feel like damp sand and hold together when pressed.

12. Divide the dough in half, stack one half on top of the other, and press down. Repeat a few times to create layers. (This can take 10 to 15 minutes for the dough to actually come together).

13. Once the dough mostly holds together (even if a bit rough), shape it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Cut in half to make two crusts. Wrap both in plastic. Freeze one for later and refrigerate the other until ready to use.

14. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

15. Roll out one crust into a large round, about 21–22 inches wide.

16. Pile the pear filling in the center, leaving a 4-inch border.

17. Fold the edges inward, brushing each fold with egg wash as you go. Keep the center exposed.

18. Sprinkle generously with demerara sugar so it sticks to the egg wash.

19. Transfer the galette to a foil-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.

20. Bake at 450°F for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 360°F and bake for 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours, until golden brown.

21. Let cool completely before serving (about 2 hours). Serve with soft whipped cream.