Black Currant and Frangipane Galette

Dessert Dairy Pies & Tarts

Galettes, or free-form crusts, take a lot of the anxiety out of pie making. The more rustic-looking the crust, the better, and there’s no tricky counter-to-pie plate maneuvering of the dough.

This is one of two companion recipes to Michele Genest's Spring 2025 article, "Cooks and Their Kitchens: A Profile of Lin Fabio."

By Michele Genest | February 26, 2025

Ingredients

SERVINGS: Makes 1 10-inch galette, enough for 8−10 servings

1 cup fresh or frozen black currants
¾ cup frangipane (recipe below)
1 batch galette dough (recipe below)
½ cup white sugar
½ cup raw almonds
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cold butter, diced
¼ cup ice water
1 egg, beaten

Preparation

Make the frangipane and set aside. Next, prepare the dough.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to fill the dough, remove it from the fridge. Remove the top layer of parchment paper to reveal the dough.

Spoon the frangipane over the dough in blobs (they’ll merge during baking) to cover a 10-inch circle. Scatter the black currants evenly over the top. Fold the pastry over to cover the edge of the filling by about 2 inches and brush with beaten egg.

Bake in a preheated 375° F oven until filling is bubbling and crust is golden, from 30−40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or plain yogurt.

Advance preparation: Frangipane can be made up to 1 week ahead or frozen for up to 6 months. Assembled, uncooked pie can be frozen on a baking sheet for up to 2 months. Bake right from the freezer in a pre-heated 375° F oven.

Combine sugar and almonds in a food processor and process until almonds are finely ground.

Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing after each addition until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until thoroughly combined.

Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 1 week and frozen for up to 6 months.

Put flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse in short bursts until the dough is the texture of coarse sand containing some larger, pea-sized pieces of butter.

Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse briefly after each addition. After adding the final tablespoon, pulse for 10 seconds at a time, scraping down the sides if necessary, until the dough forms large clumps that hold together when you pinch them.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, kneading it briefly, form it into a flat disk. Place the disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Slide the dough, still between the sheets of paper, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

About this recipe

For the frangipane:

Makes about 1½ cups

For the dough:

Adapted from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan, this practically foolproof dough is great for free-form dessert galettes. Try it with any of your favorite fruit pie fillings.