Cardamom Honey Grapefruit Galettes

Halves of juicy ruby red grapefruit, drizzled with honey and vanilla, sprinkled with ground cardamom, and then broiled until the juices of the grapefruit are bubbling and the edges of the rind start to blacken in places.  Sound different?

It did to me in October of last year when I stumbled across the recipe in the October issue of Fine Cooking magazine.  I was intrigued by the paring of flavors and so made some the next time I had grapefruit.  The sweetness of the vanilla and honey paired with the sour tang of the grapefruit and the spicy woodsy notes of the cardamom was amazing.  I’ve made these grapefruit now on multiple occasions–it’s a wonderful way to start the day.

I was thinking recently about the broiled grapefruit recipe and decided to make galettes inspired by those flavors.  These galettes have a wonderful flaky buttery crust and an unexpected slightly tart grapefruit filling.  The individual serving size makes them perfect for sharing!  When you are working with the dough for the crust, if it is getting too soft and sticky, put it back into the refrigerator to chill and firm up for a few minutes.  Colder dough is easier to work with because it is firmer and less sticky.

Cardamom Honey Grapefruit Galettes
Makes 16 galettes

PASTRY:

FILLING:

ASSEMBLY:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the mixture with the cider vinegar.  Gradually add the milk, tossing the mixture with a fork until the dough starts to stick together and can be formed into a ball.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until the dough is firm and easy to handle.

2. While the dough is chilling, in a clean bowl gently mix together all of the filling ingredients.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Set out the assembly ingredients.

3. Shape the dough into sixteen balls and put back in the refridgerator for 5 minutes.  Remove one ball at a time.  Roll out the ball into a 5-inch circle.  Sprinkle the circle with 1/8 teaspoon of the granulated sugar. Use a fork to place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the circle (let any extra liquid drain off the fork before you put the filling on the circle).  Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoons of the granulated sugar over the top of the filling. (If you want your galettes to be a bit more tart, you can skip the second sprinkling of sugar).  Fold the edges of the dough over the filling in a crimped pattern, leaving the center uncovered.  Gently, but firmly, push down on the crimped edges to help prevent the crust from opening up during baking.  Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.  Place the prepared galette on an ungreased baking sheet.  Repeat step 3 with each ball of dough.  Place the galettes at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.

4. Bake the galettes for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown, then remove them from the oven and let them cool.  Serve when cooled or just barely warm.

There are a few more days left to vote for my bread in the Pham Fatale Bread Contest!