Gracie Cat decided the chilly winter weather in Hazel Village called for some toasty and tasty treats. Lifting a book of her favorite recipes off the shelf, she paged through it and considered which one would be just right. Something savory, or something sweet? Something with nuts, or oats, or berries? Finally, her paw landed on the perfect thing. "This is the one!" Gracie declared.  

Gracie Cat’s Pear-and-Honey Galettes

Pastry

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• About 7 tablespoons iced water (ice removed)

Pear filling

• 4-5 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons honey, plus more to drizzle on top once baked
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Sugar for sprinkling

A galette might sound fancy, but it is basically just a pie made without a pie dish. This easy recipe makes six small galettes, which are perfect for several woodland friends to share. 

The first step in this recipe is to prepare your pastry dough. Gracie always makes her pie crust from scratch, but you could also buy some at the store if you’d prefer.

The most important trick for achieving flaky pie crust is to keep your butter cold. Cut 12 tablespoons of cold butter (1 1/2 sticks) into small pieces. If the butter starts to get melty while you are slicing it, put it back into the fridge for a few minutes while you mix your flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the cold butter to your bowl of flour and toss them together. Using a fork or your hands, break up the butter until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea. Refer to Gracie’s mixing bowl in the photo below for how your mixture should look at this stage.

Next, add ice water one tablespoon at a time and mix after each addition until the dough starts to stick together. The dough should be moist enough to hold its shape, but still a little bit shaggy. Here is a helpful video to show you how it should come together. When your dough is ready, squeeze it into a disc. Then wrap it in plastic or place it in a covered container and set aside in the fridge for half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. (Gracie Cat bakes with a wood stove in the Lodge, so she heats her oven by adding kindling to the fire; we are assuming yours is a little less rustic.)

To prepare the filling, first peel, core, and thinly slice your pears.

Toss the pear slices in a bowl with about 2 tablespoons honey and 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon. We found it worked best to toss this mixture with our hands so we wouldn’t accidentally mush the pears, which are quite soft. Let the filling sit until your dough is ready to roll out.

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, and roll them out one at a time to about 1/8 inch thickness. Make sure to work on a clean surface, dusted with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Place 4-5 pear slices in the middle of each dough piece. Fold the edges of the dough up around the pears, crimping it in place.

Brush each galette with melted butter, then sprinkle sugar over the crust. Arrange the galettes on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

If you have extra filling, mash the pears and pour them into a baking dish. Bake in the oven alongside the galettes, and you will have a lovely pear-sauce as an extra treat. 

While the galettes were baking, Gracie invited Gwendolyn Raccoon over for tea. They sat cozily by the wood stove and chatted about the goings on in Hazel Village. Gwendolyn told Gracie about Lucas Rabbit and Arthur Lamb's excellent snow fort, which she had seen them building on her walk over. Gracie told Gwendolyn that Phoebe Fawn's Twinkle Day composition will feature jingle bells this year, so Ella Toad is practicing rhythmic stomping in her jingley boots. 

When the galettes were golden brown, Gracie took them out of the oven. She put one on a plate and drizzled honey over it, then set it in front of Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn said she had never seen a more beautiful treat, or smelled a more delectable scent. Once it had cooled a little, the friends shared it and agreed it was quite tasty indeed. Good job, Gracie! 

This recipe was adapted from Snixy Kitchen's Personal Pear Galettes. 

Did you make this recipe at home? Send us a photo or tag us on social media @hazelvillage! Questions? Email us at hello@hazelvillage.com. 

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