Sweet Things
Cherry Pistachio Galette
Growing up west of the Continental Divide near Flathead Lake in Montana meant picking ripe cherries and stocking up for the winter months so we could eat them mixed into a traditional cherry pie, stirred into oatmeal, or served alongside pork when they were out of season. The long warm days and cool nights of mid summer on the lake offer a climate in which sweet cherries thrive. Fourth of July and cherry pie is nostalgic for me. I am, however, a rather shabby pie crust maker and eschew pie making outside of Thanksgiving when both pumpkin and pecan pie may be made without the top crusts. Then, along came the galette: a much simpler, intended-to-look-rustic alternative to smooth dough with perfectly pinched edges. I was back to making the sort of fruit pie associated with picnics and summer holidays. The sweet juicy red stone fruit I used to spend days shinning up a tree to collect to make pies is now made in the French galette style without the fuss of rolling a perfect circle or crimping perfect edges. Nuts and fruit are natural pairings. I love the crunchy texture and slight saltiness of pistachios paired with cherries. The sprinkling of nuts over the pastry before adding the filling and then a bit stirred into the fruit also help to keep the bottom of the pastry from getting soggy.
