Recipe: Fig galette with frozen honey mousse

If you are looking for simple yet elegant fare, then look no further than the galette. A galette is a freeform dough that can be filled with sweet or savory items. It is easy to make, stunning in appearance and delicious to eat.
While I have historically made savory galettes, this year I decided to honor a beautiful basket of figs that I purchased at our local Farmer’s Market. We were not disappointed! Some recipes add mascarpone or almond frangipane under the figs. This recipe from “The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison, is much more basic. As always, I encourage you to get creative with the basic galette dough. Do what suits you personally. Treat it like a pizza crust and add whatever items you have on hand to create a delicious main course or a desert. The sky is the limit!
The Frozen Honey Mousse is from the same cookbook and is a very quick and easy method of making something akin to ice cream. I have made it a number of times now with different nuts, zest and flavorings and it is always delectable! Note that it does contain raw egg yolk. This is not an issue to me — but may not be suitable for everyone.
Dough:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm milk or water
1 egg, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Approximately 2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter at room temperature.
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the milk in a mixing bowl and let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the egg and salt, then begin adding the flour 1/2 cup at a time. After you’ve added a cup, beat in the butter, then continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the edge of the bowl. Turn it out onto a counter and knead until shiny and smooth, after a few minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered bowl, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to an hour. Turn the dough out and roll it into a 13- to 14- inch circle. Make into a freeform galette.
Fresh Fig and Honey Galette:
galette dough
3- 4 tablespoons butter, as needed
12 to 16 large ripe purple figs, stems removed
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground anise
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough into a large circle and roll up on rolling pin to transfer to a flat cookie sheet pan (I used parchment paper underneath). Cut the figs in half and lay them in the center 8 inches of the dough in a circle. Heat the honey with 2 tablespoons of butter and the spices in a small pan, then drizzle it over the figs. Fold the edge of the dough over the top. Melt the remaining tablespoon(s) of butter in the same pan and brush it over the dough. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bake until the crust is nicely browned, 35-40 minutes.
Frozen Honey Mousse:
1 cup whipping cream
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup strongly flavored honey
Finely grated zest of 1 tangerine or 1/2 orange (I have used blood orange, lemon, Meyers lemon and tangerine - all were delicious)
1/4 cup peeled pistachios, coarsely chopped (I have used pistachios and macadamia nuts both were great)
1 tablespoon orange-flower water (I used a good orange liquor)
Whip the cream until it holds firm peaks. Scrape it into another bowl and refrigerate. Without rinsing the mixing bow, beat the eggs and honey until they thicken and turn pale, 8-10 minutes at high speed. Add the zest, nuts, and liquor/flavoring, then fold in the cream and whisk at low speed until everything is well combined (try to do it gently to keep your loft). Freeze for at least 3 hours. Before serving, allow it to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften.

Kate Johnson is a long-time resident of Carson City. She is an avid gardener, cook, musician and lover of dogs.