quick fruit galette

today was one of those summer days during which you try to slow every minute down and really appreciate it, because you know how perfect it is even as it's happening. i got to wake up later than usual, laze around reading and enjoying the wonder that is spotify, and eat some asian scrambled eggs with leftover rice.

i also was excited because i had Big Pie Plans and a southern potluck in my future. i made a pie crust with this recipe, and i will talk about it more later because we are about to have to leave for the aforementioned potluck. suffice it to say that it worked out really well and was super easy. that is my kind of pie crust, for sure.

above is my awesome haul from the produce market just down the street. the vast majority of their produce is local and it is a total steal. all of the stuff above (cherries, apricots, a mango, cucumbers, a plantain, grapefruit, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, a yam, peppers both spicy and bell, garlic, dill, cilantro, shallots, and a bag of organic rye flour) was only $16! what?! and the flour was like $4 of that. they have a whole shelf of bob's red mill products and also have lots of homemade jams and preserves. it is pretty much my favorite.

also, i biked there. i am sooo portland.

anyway, so i was making this other pie for the potluck and had some dough left over. the apricots i'd just bought were still sitting on the counter, so i rolled the extra dough out, cut up an apricot, put it in the middle of the dough, and folded the extra dough up around the fruit so that the juices wouldn't leak out too much. this whole process seriously takes about 2 minutes, tops.

then i sprinkled it with sugar (this was demerara sugar, like sugar in the raw) and put a couple of little pats of butter on top of the fruit. if you are making this as its own thing (i.e., not just trying to use up extra dough), it would not be a bad idea to do a little egg wash over the crust. this isn't necessary, but it makes it brown more attractively. if you want to do that, just beat up an egg with a little water (maybe a teaspoon?) and brush the pastry with it. these can also be bigger - just make a larger circle of dough. i kind of like the idea of individual ones, however.

then just put it on a cookie sheet-type pan and pop it in an oven at 375 until the crust is browned-y and the fruit looks done. i think this took about half an hour or so for mine, but you want to keep an eye on it.

this could also be made with store-bought crust and would then be the easiest dessert you can think of. you could also make it with other kinds of fruit - apples, pears, berries, etc. the amount of sugar you use depends on how sweet your fruit is and how sweet you want it (obvs). i probably only used a teaspoon or so, but the apricot was super ripe and didn't need much help along its road toward immortality.

bonus: now i know the crust of the pie i am bringing to the potluck is not too bad and will not make me an embarrassment to my family.