A simple yet elegant way to make the most of late-summer mirabelles. These are mini mirabelle and goat cheese galettes filled with tangy goat cheese, sweet mirabelles, fragrant thyme, crunchy walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
This year I thought I had missed the mirabelle season, however, a kind colleague of mine gave me some of the last season mirabelle plums from her trees. I had to make good use of them, and apart from enjoying them fresh, I tried a bake which I had in mind for a while. A galette which travels between savoury and sweet. A rich flaky dough holds a layer of tangy soft goat cheese, with chopped walnuts, thyme and mirabelle plums. After baking I drizzle generously with honey.
What are Mirabelle Plums?
Mirabelle plums are sweet and juicy yellow little plums with a delicate aroma. They’re really popular in the French region of Lorraine, where most of the world’s mirabelle supply is cultivated. In fact, the Lorraine Mirabelle has been recognised by the EU as a high-quality regional product, with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). Before moving to Luxembourg, I didn’t know about the existence of this succulent fruit, and to be honest, I don’t know if this fruit was actually available in Malta while growing up there. Nonetheless, since discovering mirabelle, me and my husband have been every year anxiously waiting for August to be able to get a hold of this exquisite fruit.
Tips for the best Flaky dough
For this galette, I opted to go with a flaky pie dough as I adore how crumbly this type of dough gets, and personally I just love picking up the fallen crumbs from the plate. Besides, this dough is so easy to make that it was a no brainer.
To get a successful flaky dough the secret is to keep everything really cold and to work as fast as you can. We don’t want the butter to melt while we’re forming and shaping the dough. If this happens, we will loose all the flakiness of the dough. Therefore, while making this dough make sure to use your hands the least as possible and to work on a cold surface, such as your kitchen countertop. Also, make sure to use cold cold water. Another important tip: Please leave the dough to rest for at least an hour before working with it! This definitely makes a huge difference on the outcome of your baked goods.
FAQs
Can store bought pie dough be used?
Most definitely! Even though making this dough is relatively easily, some times when in a time crunch, store bought pie dough is great to make this easy galette.
How to store any leftover Mirabelle and goat cheese galettes?
As this galette contains cheese, I recommend that if you have any leftovers, store them in air tight container and place them in the fridge for not more than three days. When ready to eat, either leave it cold or else warm it up slightly before serving.
Mirabelle and Goat Cheese Galettes
Ingredients
Galette Dough
- 175 g plain flour
- 125 g cold butter cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 40 ml cold water
Mirabelle and Goat cheese Filling
- 250 g mirabelle plums around 16 mirabelles
- 80 g soft goat cheese
- 30 g walnuts chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Galette Dough
- In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt.
- Add the cubed cold butter and work into the flour. You can either use a pastry cutter or work with your hands. If you’re using your hands, you have to work fast so as not to melt the butter. Rub in all the butter in the flour until you have a coarse mixture with small pebbles of butter. This process can be also done in a food processor.
- Slowly start adding a tablespoon at a time of cold water, while forming a smooth dough. Your dough might require less or more water.
- Once the dough is ready, wrap into some cling film and store in the fridge for at least an hour or two.
Filling
- While the dough is resting in the fridge, half your mirabelles and removing the pit. Add the plum to a bowl and mix with a tablespoon of cornstarch and let sit for 10 minutes.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside. Divide the dough into four and on a floured surface open each dough into a circle of about 5mm thickness.
- Spread the goat cheese in the middle of the dough, into an even layer and leave a 5cm border all round.
- Sprinkle the walnuts and thyme over the goat cheese and layer the mirabelles on top. Fold the edges to roughly cover some of the filling. Brush the edges with a beaten egg.
- Bake the galettes about 30 minutes or until the edges have a nice golden brown colour. Let it cool slightly and drizzle with honey before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you have any questions, feedback or comments on this recipe, please leave a comment below. Please also rate this recipe by double clicking on the stars below. If you did make this recipe, tag @apronandwhisk and hashtag #apronandwhisk, as I’m curious to see what you create! Don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list down below so to receive the recipe updates straight to your mailbox!
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