Cherry & ricotta galette

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 100g plain flour
• 60g rye flour
• 30g golden caster sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 110g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3-4 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling

• 400g pitted cherries
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 220g ricotta
• 2 eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ tsp grated tonka bean
• 2 tbsp cream, creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• Toasted flaked almonds or icing sugar to decorate

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flours, golden caster sugar and salt. Add the butter, rubbing it into the flour mix using your fingers and thumbs until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Gradually add the ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. The dough should be smooth but not tacky. Shape it into a flattened disc and wrap in clingfilm, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Slice the cherries into threes (this gives you slices you can overlap later), toss them in the golden caster sugar, cornflour and lemon juice and add a tiny pinch of salt for balance.

Mix the ricotta with the eggs, lemon zest and vanilla or tonka bean.

Heat your oven on to 175C. Remove the galette dough from the fridge and roll it out into a circle about 35cm wide. Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread the ricotta mix evenly over the dough, leaving a 3cm border around the edges.

Decorate with the sliced cherries, overlapping the slices to generously cover the whole galette, with just a few peaks of ricotta poking through. Every 10cm or so around the galette, turn up the edges of the dough and flatten them down onto the cherries to tuck everything in well. Brush the edges with the cream, creme fraiche or sour cream and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

Bake on a greaseproof paper-lined oven tray on the bottom shelf of the oven for 30-40 mins, until the crust is a deep golden brown and the cherries are soft, then leave to cool.

Once cooled, decorate with the flaked almonds or a dusting of icing sugar. The galette is best served straight away with creme fraiche or clotted cream.

Image: Stuart Ovenden