Pear and Gorgonzola Galette with Caramelized Onions

Savory and sweet is how I would describe this pear and gorgonzola galette with caramelized onions. We enjoy brunch on the weekends, but brunch is always better when it is casual and fun. My family likes gathering around the table, and brunch is really just a way for us to spend that quality time together that feels a bit elusive during the week. This recipe is a welcome addition to our family’s weekend menu because it’s flavorful and perfect for a late morning meal. A small bonus: My youngest son loves pear, so he’s happy to eat any leftover pear slices!

Recipe Notes

Galettes are an easy meal to make if you have the pie crust prepared ahead of time. I like to make a couple of pie crusts and freeze them. In this case, I made a two-crust pie dough recipe but froze the crusts separately to be used for meals that only required one crust. I used a similar crust as my apple pie recipe, but with the addition of cardamom for additional flavor. The pears in this galette were from a local orchard, and I think Bosc pears are a nice variety for baking. I made the caramelized onions ahead of time because I knew that I wanted to use them in a number of recipes throughout the week. Finally, I didn’t add additional seasoning because I wanted the pear, gorgonzola, and onion to take center stage.

Pear and Gorgonzola Galette with Caramelized Onions

Prep time: 45 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Servings: 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Pastry blender
• Glass measuring cup
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Silicone brush
• Baking sheet

Crust

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (table salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (small cubes)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2/3 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, salt, cardamom, and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening and cold butter until the dough comes together in small, pea-sized pieces.
2. Using the pastry blender, slowly mix in cold buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour absorbs the buttermilk and starts to stick together in larger pieces.
3. In the bowl, use your hands to form the dough together, into one ball, by kneading it a few times (sparingly). Divide in half and shape each half into a small, thick, round disc. Wrap both separately with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1-24 hours to chill.

Thaw Pie Crust

To thaw the pie crust for baking, remove a single pie crust from the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator about an hour before baking while you prepare the filling for the galette.

Filling

Ingredients

• 1 single-crust pie dough (homemade, or store-bought dough)
• 1 to 2 pears (cored and sliced)
• 4 ounces of gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of caramelized onions
• 1 egg white

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Remove one, previously prepared pie dough disc from the refrigerator and roll out (approximately 1/4 inch thickness) to 13 inches in diameter. Gently place the pie dough on your baking sheet.
3. Arrange half of the pear slices, gorgonzola cheese, and caramelized onions on the center of the dough and leave about 3-inch border around the edge of the dough. Arrange a second layer of pear slices, gorgonzola cheese, and caramelized onions on top of the first layer.
4. Fold the 3-inch border of dough over the filling and brush the border with egg.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. Please note: Depending on the temperature of your oven, you may need to cover the galette crust with foil to prevent the crust from burning.
6. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

(Recipe inspired by Pillsbury Pear and Caramelized Onion Galette.)

Please leave me a comment if you are interested in any how-to posts, I’m happy to share what I’m doing if you think it would be helpful!