Blueberry Galette

Blueberry galette is a fancy-dancy signature for a most plebian pie.

Can you say gaw-LETT? While the name implies hours of trouble and fuss, the results are as relaxed as that ever-so-comfortable chair you’d no more give up than your kids.

My mother would have loved this recipe, my father, too.

My dad, you see, was and remains a fiend for pie. One of their many little inside jokes was when he’d ask my mom, What’s for dessert? and she’d answer with a rueful smile, Pie in the sky.

For Mom, cooking was a sort of witchcraft, a way to pamper the taste buds and handle a husband.

If pie were always this easy, she’d have waved her rolling pin, I mean her wand, to make him real pie – no more pie in the sky – whenever he asked.

ALANNA's TIPS For some reason, this crust sticks to a baking sheet in a way it doesn’t to a pie pan. Parchment is the best defense but if there’s none on hand, try liberally buttering a piece of foil.

These days, refrigerated pie crusts are quite good as is but to my taste, are even better when rolled a bit thinner.

This pie tastes best warm from the oven so bake it right before serving.

If you like, mix the berries in advance but return them to the freezer.

A berry mix would work great too. I’ve become a real fan of a frozen blue-black-raspberry medley. Or perhaps tonight’s witchery means a peach galette?

Word to the wise, "fresh frozen" is key here. If your pie crust or berries are the least bit freezer-burned, baking them won't help.

BLUEBERRY GALETTE

A rustic blueberry pie

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time-to-table: 1 hour
Serves 8

1 unbaked refrigerated pie crust (such as Pillsbury’s)

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 16-ounce bag frozen blueberries, still frozen
Zest and juice from 1 lemon (don’t skip this)
1 tablespoon butter, in tiny pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 425F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment.

Open the crust on the counter. Working gently with a rolling pin, enlarge the crust slightly with a few light swipes from the center. Transfer the crust to the baking sheet.

Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the berries. Sprinkle on the lemon zest and juice, stir in.

Transfer fruit to the crust, mounding in the center, leaving a one-inch border. Spread the butter evenly over the berries. Fold the border over the berries, pleating it to form an edge. Lightly brush the exposed crust with egg, then sprinkle sugar over it.

Bake until golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly.

Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream or sour cream loosened with a little buttermilk.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Slice: 328 Calories; 16g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 48g Carb; 2g Fiber; 367mg Sodium; 26mg Cholesterol. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 7.5, PointsPlus 9

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.

Do you have a favorite homemade pie recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com.

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