Fresh fruit. Do you ever think about how amazing it is that we have access to fresh fruit all the time?

And I’m not just talking about the bananas that travel miles and miles to get to us.

Remember the stories of the little pioneer children that received an orange on Christmas morning. So rare. A special gift. Maybe that story sticks with me because 10 year old me wanted to be a pioneer just like Laura Ingalls. To this day, every time I see an orange, I  feel that story. Oranges as a gift. It really is a wonder.

Lest you think I’m sounding like Pollyanna here…really, do think about it for a second. How blessed we are to have so many food choices and even to get to bake and make food simply for fun. I’m learning to not even let these simple gifts go unnoticed.

This little post isn’t about oranges or pioneers, however, it’s not lost on me how special it really is, to be able to take a quick trip to the grocery on a whim and pick up fresh cherries for a pie on a Tuesday.

I made this cherry galette (think free form and rustic pie, the French call: galette) to take along to a dear friend’s summer dinner party. Her husband requested a cherry pie and I jumped at the chance to try making a fresh cherry pie. No canned cherries here. If you have never had a fresh cherry, do try. They are drastically different in fresh form from their canned cousins.

The time  you save not having to roll out two portions of pastry for this simple pie, you can spend pitting the cherries. It takes a little extra time to use fresh cherries, but trust me, it’s so worth it. Enter into the wonder of the fresh cherries you hold in your hands while you work. Your soul will be grateful.

{Week 23} Cherry Galette
12-inch round chilled pie dough
4 c sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
egg + 1 tablespoon water, beaten together for egg wash

Heat oven to 375-degrees F. Line baking sheet with baking parchment. In a bowl, combine cherries, ⅓ cup brown sugar, flour, lemon juice and salt. Using a potato masher or heavy flat bottom glass mash mixture a few times. Set aside.

Place chilled dough round on parchment lined baking sheet. Place cherry filling onto center of dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Fold edge up and over filling, overlapping and creating pleats all the way around. Brush dough with egg wash. Sprinkle top of galette (especially the crust) with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Bake at 375-F degrees about 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and done on bottom. Transfer to wire rack and cool slightly before slicing.

Source: She Wears Many Hats Blog