This week the Tuesday’s with Dorie group is playing with more cranberries. The two most quintessential November ingredients to me are winter squash and cranberries. They bookend the month; pumpkins show up in full-force for Halloween and cranberries seal the deal as the crown jewel of the Thanksgiving table. Sadly, the last week of November feels like a lost cause, dominated by Christmas, it might as well be rolled into December. 

Cranberry Lime Galette

I’m thouroughly enjoying November right along with this Cranberry Lime Galette (gah-LEHT). A galette is basically a free-form rustic pie and both sweet and savory fillings are common. This one is definitely sweet, but the cranberries aren’t sugared into submission. Rather they hit your mouth with a puckery tang that is carefully tempered by sweetness and softened by the rich buttery crust. The dueling taste of floral and bitter linger from the lime zest while ginger pipes in with just a touch of heat. If your taste buds have been bored, jolt them back to life with a slice of this.  

Cranberry Lime Galette

Snuggled in with the fresh cranberries are dried cranberries and fresh apple. Additionally, ground nuts and a touch of breadcrumbs add body and help to thicken the filling. As is often the case, I didn’t have a few of the called-for ingredients. I used dried figs rather than dried cranberries which worked really well, but the pear I substituted for the apple turned out to be a weak point. Once cooked, it was so soft it got lost in the filling. Next time I’ll go to the store for a nice crisp apple that will hold up during cooking, something along the lines of Cameo, Honey Crisp, Empire, Jonathan, Fuji, Rome, or any other apple that isn’t likely to be reduced to mush when exposed to the toasty oven environment. Next time I will also just do a rough chop on the nuts rather than mincing them down to a fine texture. I think the added crunch and more prominent flavor would complement the cranberries. 

Galette ingredients

In addition to my convenience-motivated substitutions, I added a little spice just for the fun and flavor of it. The filling was spiked with ½ teaspoon of freshly ground allspice and I also mixed a bit of allspice with sugar for dusting the crust. Allspice combines the flavor and aroma of nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, along with a peppery note in one handy little berry. Check out our Spice Library to learn more about this magnificent spice. 

Grinding allspice berries

As luck would have it, I had a pie crust in the freezer ready and waiting. So rather than make Dorie’s Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough, I used my pie crust made with butter and some spectacularly decadent Mangalitsa lard I rendered. The sisters that write Celestial Confections, chose this week’s recipe and have posted the recipe for the Cranberry Lime Galette as well as Dorie’s crust. The link at the end of my post will take you there. 

Cranberry Lime Galette

Though a galette boasts the rustic, hand-made look, it still requires rolling out pastry dough. Don’t let this dissuade you from making home-made crusts. On a side note, when making pie dough, if you have a food processor, use it. When rolling out dough, give it enough time in the fridge to become well chilled. Then place it on a lightly floured work surface and roll from the center to 12:00. Spin the dough ¼ turn and roll again from the center to 12:00. Repeat the rolling and spinning adding a dusting of flour on or under the dough as needed if it starts to stick. I find a bench scraper to be invaluable in this process. A large spatula will work as well. Slide the blade under the dough to release it from the work surface if it sticks between rolls. Then spin the dough a quarter turn and toss a little more flour down. Before you know it you will have a nice big round of dough ready to be filled. 

French rolling pin and bench scraper

I use a straight French rolling pin. Gale Gand mentioned this was her favorite style of pin on her Food Network show, Sweet Dreams, back in the day. I bought one and love it. Tapered wood pins are another popular style of French rolling pins, but I’ve not had the chance to try one so I can’t tell you how they compare. 

In all of my enthusiasm to get the dough filled and in the oven, it wasn’t until assembly was complete that I noticed a most unfortunate oversight. 

Ready for the oven - not so fast...

See the little bowl of what looks like it might be crumb topping? It’s actually the breadcrumb mixture that was supposed to have been spread on the dough before adding the fruit. Damn. What folds up, unfolds, so I carefully unfolded the dough, scooped up the filling, spread the breadcrumbs and then put it back together. The galette was no worse for the wear and into the oven it went. 

If you are looking for a slightly less obvious pie for Thanksgiving embrace the punchy-tartness of cranberries and give this Cranberry Lime Galette a try. Just save yourself some grief and remember to put the breadcrumbs in before you get it all assembled! 

Recipe Links 

• Cranberry Lime Galette and Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough

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Over 350 baking bloggers are baking our way thorough Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. 152 recipes completed 69 to go!

Our Spice Library is growing! Check out the new entries I just added for black, green, white, and pink peppercorns.

Learn about the flavor profiles of different peppercorns, how they are grown, harvested, and processed. Do you know which countries produce the most highly regarded black and white peppercorns? Did you know that pink peppercorns come from a completly different plant than other peppercorns?  What gives pepper its pungent heat? What can turn your spicy pungent black pepper into flavorless dust? Check out the Spice Library and read all about it.

Once you’ve become a peppercorn expert, try this recipe for Braised Peppercorn Shortribs from Rouxbe, my favorite cooking site on the web. Pick up some fresh aromatic peppercorns and treat your friends and family to this hearty peppery dish this weekend.

And for dessert? How about White Pepper Shortbread? Its tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. In one of our past Spice Inspiration features Gale Gand shared this recipe along with her love for using pepper in her famous pastry creations.

TableFare is thrilled to have Gale Gand contribute to this month’s Spice Inspirtaion feature with some inspiration on using pepper in desserts. She gives recipes for White Pepper Shortbread and Strawberries in Syrup that are easy to make and delicious proof  that pepper is great in desserts.