Plum and Ginger Galette
by Feli Chic'Cuisine
This Plum and Ginger Galette is a delightful, rustic dessert that combines the tartness of fresh plums with the warmth of ginger in a buttery, flaky crust. It’s an easy, homey treat that fills your kitchen with warmth and cozy aromas, inviting you to slow down and savor the comforting flavors of the galette.
This Plum and Ginger Galette is one of my favorite cozy desserts to make. It’s simple, rustic, and fills the kitchen with the warm, spicy aroma of ginger and sweet plums - perfect for a relaxing fall afternoon. It has a little twist that makes it extra special: a layer of crushed ginger nut biscuits on the base.
The pastry is made with a unique blend of ingredients, including soft cheese, butter, and a touch of cider vinegar, giving it an exceptionally tender, tangy crumb. Crushed ginger nut biscuits add an extra layer of flavor and crunch to the base, complementing the juicy filling and soaking up any plum juices as it bakes.
The filling itself is a blend of ripe, juicy plums, sweetened with brown sugar, spiced with ground ginger, and finished with a hint of vanilla. As it bakes, the plums soften and release their juices, creating a deliciously sticky, sweet, and slightly spiced center.
This galette is perfect for fall, when plums are in season, and is equally delightful served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. It's a cozy, comforting dessert with just enough sophistication to serve at a dinner party, but simple and rustic enough for a relaxed weekend treat.
Choosing the Perfect Plums for Your Galette
For a Plum and Ginger Galette, opt for plums that are sweet yet slightly tart and that hold their shape when baked. Here are some good options:
Italian Prune Plums (Sugar Plums) – These oval-shaped plums are less juicy but have a rich, sweet flavor that becomes wonderfully intense and jammy when baked. They add just the right sweetness without making the crust too soggy.
Red Plums – With red skin and yellow or red flesh, red plums bring a beautiful color to the galette and offer a balanced sweet-tart flavor. They soften well while still holding some texture, making them ideal for baking.
Damson Plums – These small, dark purple plums are firmer and quite tart, making them excellent for baking as they hold their shape well and balance nicely with added sweetness.
My choice for this galette recipe was Damson plums, and they were perfect. Their deep purple skin and tart flavor bring a nice contrast to the sweet, jammy filling, while their firm texture holds up beautifully as they bake.
The result is a cozy dessert with just the right balance of sweet and tart. But honestly, any type of plum would be delicious! Italian prune plums, black plums, or red plums each add their own unique flavor and color, making this galette super adaptable to whatever plums you have on hand.
Tip: For a galette, avoid very ripe or soft plums—they can turn mushy and release too much juice. Plums that are just ripe and still a bit firm work best, creating a jammy filling without making the crust soggy.
A Visual Step-by-Step Recipe
1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and rub in butter until crumbly. Then mix in soft cheese, cream and vinegar until dough forms. Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for 1 hour.
2. Place 6 ginger nuts in a food bag and crush them into crumbs with a rolling pin; miix with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
3. Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix gently to combine.
4. Roll the chilled pastry between two sheets of parchment into a 30–35 cm (12–14 inch) circle. Place on a baking tray, sprinkle with biscuit crumbs, leaving a 7 cm border. Add the plum mixture, then fold and pleat the edges over the fruit. Brush the egg over the edges of the pastry, crush the remaining ginger nut, and sprinkle it on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
Note: To make the dough, you can also use a food processor. Here’s how:
Place the flour, salt, baking powder, and soft cheese into a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Then, add the cream and vinegar and pulse again until the dough just starts to come together. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, shape it into a disc, wrap in baking parchment, and chill for at least 1 hour.
Plum and Ginger Galette Recipe
It’s an easy, homey treat that fills your kitchen with warmth and cozy aromas, inviting you to slow down and savor the comforting flavors of the galette.
PREP.TIME: 30 min COOK TIME: 40 min
TOTAL TIME: 1h 10 min SERVINGS: 6
Ingredients
185g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 pinch of salt
120g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
85g soft cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream/double cream
2 tsp cider vinegar
7 Ginger Nut biscuits
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
For the Filling
400g plums, stoned and cut into thin wedges
50g light brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cornflour
To Serve
icing sugar, vanilla ice cream, Crème fraîche (optional)
Method
For the pastry:
1. Place the flour, salt, baking powder, and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles large crumbs. Add the soft cheese, then pour in the cream and vinegar. Gently mix with a spatula until the dough just begins to come together. Alternatively, you can use a food processor as mentioned above.
2. Transfer it onto a clean work surface, shape it into a disc, wrap in baking parchment, and chill for at least 1 hour.
For the base:
3. Place the ginger nuts in a food bag and crush them into crumbs with a rolling pin. Reserve 2 teaspoons, then mix the remaining crumbs with 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside.
For the filling:
4. Place all the filling ingredients - plums, sugar, ground ginger, vanilla extract, and cornflour - in a bowl and gently mix to combine.
To assemble:
5. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (350°F / gas mark 6). Place the chilled pastry between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a 30-35 cm in diameter (12-inch, 14-inch) in diameter.
6. Transfer the pastry on its parchment onto a large baking tray. Sprinkle the biscuit mixture over the pastry, leaving a 7 cm border around the edge. Spoon the plum mixture on top of the crumbs, then fold the edges of the pastry up and over the fruit, pleating as you go.
To bake:
7. Brush the egg over the edges of the pastry, crush the remaining ginger nut, and sprinkle it on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Set aside to cool. Dust with icing sugar, and serve with ice cream, crème fraîche, or cream, if desired.
Enjoy!
As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see - Vincent Van Gogh
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