Rustic Almond Pear Galette!

Did you know that the pear is Oregon's state fruit? And this year is bringing a beautiful and bountiful crop.
There are a few steps to make this galette, but it is relatively easy. Just follow the directions and
serve warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Dough:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling on top
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (I use real salt)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup ice water
Place the flour, sugar and salt into a large food processor. Add the cubes of butter and whirl until crumbly. Add the ice water and whirl until the dough comes together in a soft ball. If it seems dry add a little more ice water. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into a 1 inch disk. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Almond and Pear Filling:
5 full cups of firm ripe Bartlett pears
1/2 cup of firm packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of raw slivered almonds, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup almond paste
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 egg lightly beaten
pinch of sea salt
Peel and core the pears and cut them into 1/2 thick slices. In a large bowl mix together the pears, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and the pinch of sea salt.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out into a 14 inch circle

  Transfer the dough onto the parchment covered baking sheet. Take two pieces of at least 10 inch wide wax paper and place the almond paste in the middle. Roll the paste out into about a 9 inch circle. Remove the wax paper and place the almond paste onto the middle of the galette dough.

 Lightly toast the slivered almonds in a pan over the stove. Sprinkle over the almond paste.
Layer the pears slices going in a circle over the almonds and paste. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the juices in the bowl over the pears. Discard the rest. Dot the butter evenly over the pears. Fold the border of the dough over the edge of the filling, pleat the dough as needed.. Leave the center of the galette open. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with sugar.

Take a few finger fulls of raw almond slivers and sprinkle over the galette. I didn't have any parchment so  I used waxed paper and it worked just fine
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the pears are tender. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Then close your eyes and pretend you are in France :) 

Hallie was the only one home with me when I made this and since she is the cutest wiener dog ever she gets her picture in the blog.