Rustic Pear Galette with Cinnamon and Cardamom
A rustic pear galette is the dessert to make when you want something that looks impressive but takes none of the fuss of a traditional pie. Thin slices of cinnamon and cardamom spiced pears sit inside a free-form buttery crust that folds up around the edges by hand, so there is no crimping, no lattice, and no pie pan to fight with. Start to finish, this rustic pear galette takes about an hour and 40 minutes, most of which is hands-off chilling and baking time. It is an easy pear galette recipe even for someone who has never rolled out pie dough before.
What sets this pear galette with pie crust apart from the puff pastry versions floating around is the crust itself. A real pie dough, made from scratch with cold butter, holds its shape and gives you that shatter-crisp bite around the edges, while the center stays tender under the weight of the fruit. If you have had your fill of apple and pumpkin desserts this season, this spiced pear galette is the different, no-fuss option worth putting on the table. This particular pear cardamom galette leans on warm spice rather than extra sugar to make the fruit taste like more than an afterthought.
If a from-scratch crust is your favorite part of a dessert, the Cherry Chocolate Tart is another good one to have on hand.
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Why You'll Love This Pear Galette
- No pan, no crimping. The dough for this rustic pear galette is folded by hand directly on the baking sheet, so there is nothing to fit into a pie plate and no edges to perfect.
- Real pear flavor. Sliced pears are tossed with vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom before baking, so the filling tastes like fruit first, not just sugar and spice.
- A crust that actually holds up. Cold butter cut into the flour by hand gives this rustic pear galette a flaky, sturdy crust that will not turn soggy under the pear filling the way some galettes do.
- Freezer-friendly dough. The dough disc for this rustic pear galette can be made ahead and frozen, so the only thing left to do on baking day is fill, fold, and bake.
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
A handful of ingredients do the real work in this rustic pear galette, and each one earns its place.
Pears. Firmer varieties like Bosc or Anjou hold their shape best once sliced and baked, giving the galette structure instead of turning to mush. Very ripe pears will still work, but slice them a touch thicker so they do not collapse in the oven.
Cold butter. The butter needs to stay cold right up until it goes into the oven. Cubing it and working it into the flour quickly, rather than letting it soften, is what creates the flaky layers in this pear galette recipe.
Ground cardamom. This is the ingredient that makes this pear cardamom galette taste different from a standard cinnamon-pear dessert. A little goes a long way, so measure carefully rather than eyeballing it.
Turbinado sugar. Sprinkled on the egg-washed crust before baking, turbinado sugar gives the edges a visible crunch and a light caramelized flavor that fine granulated sugar cannot match.
For another fruit dessert that leans on a simple topping instead of a full crust, the Peaches & Cream Crumble Bars are worth a look.
How to Make a Rustic Pear Galette
Building this rustic pear galette happens in three stages: the dough, the pear filling, and the fold. None of them are complicated.
Whisk the flour, 2 ½ tablespoons of sugar, and the salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is crumbly with small visible pieces of butter throughout.
Pour in the cold water and stir just until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough chills, toss the sliced pears with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom in the same bowl used for the dough. Refrigerate the filling until the dough is ready.
Brush the folded crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the galette cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Unwrap the chilled dough and set it on the parchment, then roll it into a circle 10 to 12 inches in diameter.Pile the pear filling into the center of the dough, leaving a 3-inch border around the edge. Fold the border up and over the filling, working around the circle and overlapping the dough slightly as you go, which is what gives this rustic pear galette its signature free-form shape. Press gently to seal any cracks. It does not need to look perfect.
This rustic pear galette tastes best served warm, the same day it is made, while the crust is still at its crispest.
Tips for the Best Results
Chill the assembled galette before it bakes. Once the dough is filled and folded, slide the whole sheet pan into the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes before it goes in the oven. The cold butter holds its shape better, so the crust stays sturdy instead of slumping as it bakes.
Don't let the pears sit too long before assembling. Toss them with the sugar and spices no more than 15 to 20 minutes before filling the dough, and tip off any liquid that pools in the bowl. Less liquid on its way into the crust means less risk of a soggy bottom.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment. It keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and gives you an even thickness without working in extra flour, which toughens the crust.
Let it cool longer for clean slices. The 5 to 10 minutes in the recipe is enough for warm, rustic-looking wedges. For neater, bakery-style slices, let the galette cool closer to 20 minutes and cut with a sharp serrated knife.
Serving Suggestions
A scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the warm pear filling is the simplest finish for this rustic pear galette. For something less sweet, a spoonful of lightly whipped cream or a wedge of sharp cheddar alongside plays well against the warm spice in the filling. Either way, serve this rustic pear galette the same day it is baked, while the crust is still crisp.
Craving the same warm cinnamon flavor in cake form? The Carrot Cinnamon Bundt Cake shares the same spice profile in a different shape.
Recipe FAQs
Firmer pears like Bosc or Anjou hold their shape well once baked. Softer, very ripe pears can still work in this pear galette recipe, but slice them slightly thicker so they keep some structure in the oven.
No. The peel softens as it bakes and adds a bit of color and texture to the sliced filling, so there is no need to peel the pears first for this rustic pear galette.
This recipe is written for a from-scratch pie dough, which holds its shape better under the weight of the pear filling than puff pastry does. Puff pastry will puff and shatter differently, so treat it as a separate galette rather than a straight swap in this pear galette with pie crust.
A pinch of ground ginger or nutmeg can stand in for the cardamom in this spiced pear galette, though the flavor will be a little less distinctive.
The dough disc can be made up to two days ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to a month and thawed overnight in the fridge before rolling. The pear filling is best tossed fresh, since sliced pears release liquid the longer they sit. This is what makes it such an easy pear galette recipe to plan around a busy day.
Cover leftovers loosely and keep them at room temperature for up to a day, or in the refrigerator for up to three days. The crust will soften as it sits, but the flavor holds up well.
Warm slices in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to bring some of the crispness back to the crust. A microwave will heat it through but leaves the crust soft.
A baked rustic pear galette can be frozen whole or in slices, wrapped tightly, for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the oven rather than the microwave to keep the crust from turning soggy.
For a lighter, citrusy dessert on the same easy-bake level as this galette, the Lemon Loaf Cake is worth keeping in rotation too.
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Rustic Pear Galette
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry blender (or two forks, works fine for cutting in the butter)
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1-½ cup All-purpose flour plus a few tablespoons extra for working the dough
- 5-½ tablespoons sugar divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons cold butter cubed
- ¼ cup very cold water
- 3 large pears sliced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 T water or milk to make egg wash
- 1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar to taste
- powdered sugar to serve
Instructions
- Make dough: Add flour, 2-½ tablespoons of sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add cold butter cubes. Cut butter into the flour with a pastry blender or by using two forks to mash butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should be crumbly with very small pieces of butter sprinkled all throughout the flour.
- Pour in cold water and stir until the dough begins to come together.
- Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and turn out the dough onto the floured surface. Work it into a ball and then flatten into a round disc. Wrap the disc in a piece of plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, in the same bowl you used for the dough, toss the pears with 3 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. Place in the refrigerator while the dough rests.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Unwrap the disc of dough and place it on top of the parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle, anywhere between 10 and 12 inches in diameter.
- Add the pear filling to the center of the rolled out galette, leaving a 3-inch border of dough around the filling to allow for proper overlapping of the filling to create a beautiful rustic crust. Fold the dough over the pears, working in a circle and overlapping slightly as needed. Lightly press the dough to seal any cracks. This does not need to be perfect.
- Brush the galette crust with egg wash mixture and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake the galette until the crust is deep golden-brown, approximately 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. When ready to serve, sprinkle with a light dusting of powdered sugar. The galette will taste best if served warm on the day it is made. Enjoy!
