Pies and Galettes

Ingredients for pie:
1 recipe pie dough (1 disk)
1 pound (3 cups) fresh fruit pitted, sliced, and peeled, if necessary (cherries, berries, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, apples, rhubarb)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T flour
spices and seasonings, to taste (citrus fruit zest, citrus juice, pure extracts, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, fresh herbs, etc.)
1 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

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Ingredients for pie dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, chilled or frozen
4 to 6 T ice cold water

Preparing pies and galettes:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Stir together the prepared fruit, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and spices and/or seasonings in a large bowl until combined.

On a well-floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large circle, about 12 to 14 inches. Make sure the rolled dough is chilled. Spoon the fruit mixture onto the center of the dough leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, pleating the dough, then dot the fruit filling with the butter pieces. Lightly brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover the crust with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Cool.

Serve the warm galette with ice cream.

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Preparing pie dough:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour and the salt; cut or work the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry blender until you have large pea sized chunks scattered throughout. Alternatively, pulse the dough in a food processor, or mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed.

Add the ice water slowly while stirring with a fork, or in the food processor or mixer, until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough into 2 disks, flatten and refrigerate each for at least 15 minutes.

Roll out one chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Reserve the second pie dough disc for another use. Transfer dough to pie plate, pressing the dough lightly into the plate; trim the edges. Dock the dough with the prongs of a fork evenly over the bottom of the pie plate. Line the docked dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the pie crust until the edges are brown and golden, about 15 minutes Remove from the oven and remove the weights. Return crust to the oven to finish baking for another 5 minutes.

Variations:

Almond Apricot: Season the sliced apricots with almond paste or extract.

Spiced-Apple Pear: Season the sliced apples and pears with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.

All-Berry: Fill the baked crust with pastry cream and top with sweetened berries.

Caramelized Onion and Walnut: Caramelize 4 Spanish onions; let cool. Top the dough with grated Gruyere cheese and spread the onions and toasted walnuts over the cheese.