A sweet, decadent, but not-too-rich cherry-filled delight, and a dessert I’ll be making often when cherries are in season again.
A few weeks ago, when I reviewed The Official Elder Scrolls Cookbook, I mentioned one thing I really like out of it: the Snowberry Crostata. Made with cranberries, that dessert was great, and I was hoping to find something similar to try out.
Meanwhile, at the grocery store one day, we decided to buy a bag of cherries with the intention of making some kind of dessert with them. We didn’t really have a plan for them at the time, but it wasn’t long before I came across the idea of a cherry galette.
If you’re looking at that cranberry recipe and this cherry recipe, and wondering why they have different names, well… blame the Europeans. Galette is a French word for a round, flat pastry, often similar to a tart or a pie. Crostata is an Italian word for a round, flat pastry, often similar to a tart or a pie.
Sure, there are a few minor differences. According to Food52, a crostata/galette is a specific kind of dessert with a rolled dough, roughly folded around the edges to make a crust, and is distinct from a tart or a pie. It’s its own thing. There’s no difference, however, between a crostata and a galette.
So, back to my recipe. I liked the snowberry crostata, but I wanted something with a bit more richness to it. Cherries instead of cranberries gives it a sweeter, juicier taste, without quite as much of the tartness of the cranberries. I used sliced almonds for texture, since the cherries turn a bit mushier than cranberries do. And, of course, the chocolate; I put cocoa powder in the dough, and put miniature chocolate chips beneath the filling for that extra chocolate goodness.
I will say one thing: I initially messed up the recipe I was drawing on. The original calls for brown sugar to be sprinkled over the top of the crust, but I added it to the dough. It made the dough extra sticky to work with, and the end result was a bit more like a cookie than a pastry, but you know what? I liked it enough to reproduce it here. It was a mistake, but it didn’t ruin the recipe.
I only have one other thing to say about this recipe: I HATE CORN STARCH!!!
Corn starch is a fine ingredient, don’t get me wrong. It serves a purpose. It’s just the single messiest substance I’ve ever used in my kitchen. It sticks to measuring spoons just enough to make it a pain to get out, and when it comes out, it flies everywhere! It’s basically the culinary equivalent of glitter.
If I could just get rid of corn starch without affecting the recipes I like, I’d probably do it. Corn is overrated anyways, why do we need so many corn byproducts? Big Corn is up to some shenanigans, I tell you what.
Anyways. On to the recipe!
Simple Dark Chocolate Cherry Galette
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Food Processor
- Potato Masher
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 1⅔ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
- 4 Tbsp Granualted Sugar
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- 10 Tbsp Unsalted Butter Keep cold prior to using
- 3 Tbsp Milk Keep cold prior to using
- 3 Tbsp Water Keep cold prior to using
- 1 Egg White
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Cherry Filling
- 1 Lb. Cherries Pitted and halved
- ½ Cup Sliced Almonds Toasted (Optional)
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar Packed
- 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips Any chocolate works fine, just chop it coarsely
- 1 Tbsp Unsulted Butter
Instructions
Make the Crust
- In a food processor, add flour, cocoa powder, white sugar, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, salt, and butter.
- Pulse mixture for a few seconds, until the butter has broken up and combined into pea-sized bits.
- Add 1 Tbsp milk and water, pulsing to combine. Repeat until all milk and water is added.
- Remove the dough mixture from the food processor and form into a thick disc shape.
- Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Assemble the Galette
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, use the potato masher to lightly muddle the cherries, to break up their texture a little. Don't go overboard; you're not making mush.
- Add sugar, almonds, and corn starch to the cherries, stir to mix, and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place on the parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it's about ⅛" thick and circular.
- Sprinkle your chocolate in the center of the dough, leaving about 2-3" from the edges bare.
- Spoon the cherry mixture over the chocolate, again leaving the edges bare.
- Gently fold the edges in over the cherries, working around the circle and pressing gently to seal.
- Brush the edges of the dough with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.
- Cut up the remaining Tbsp of butter into flakes and sprinkle over the cherry mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes. When done, let cool before slicing to serve.