
Yesterday I woke up to the sound of my husband's trombone and although he rarely rehearses at home it did not strike me as unusual. It felt nice actually. Deep, resonant notes, slightly muted as they came through the floor and walls. I immediately recognized the melody of "our" song, "Can't give you anything but love". The trombone stopped, the pupps rushed down the steps toward the bedroom and when they saw the door open, the immediately jumped on the bed to give me a good round of morning licks. Nice..although not earth shaterring new.
The unusual part was they were spotting brand new heart shaped name tags and a love poem was tucked inside a notch of their collars. Ah! Love Day! A serenade, two pimped up furry fuzz balls and the man whose love is more beautiful than anything I have ever known. Love and the little funny things in life, as we try to live them everyday. Except he tied it all up in a virtual red bow and I had extra butterflies in my stomach. Singletons out there, do not despair!

Hidden from him were my breakfast plans. I know B. and I know he loves and enjoy eating and one thing we share is our love for pies, tartlets or galettes and a good ice cream, separate, together, one after the other, etc....Granted this breakfast was a little richer than what we usually have but B. is playing music, serenading others this lovely night, so it was like starting the day the way we would have ended it if we had been together, with dessert. I had made blackberry and apple galettes as a thank you gift for a neighbor and kept one for us to share and topped ours with a scoop of burnt sugar ice cream. Come to think of it, we had all the major food group covered!
The beauty of these galettes is that you can use any combination of fruits that strikes your fancy and you don't have to worry about tart pans and sizes, blind baking, etc... The pate sucree dough gets just a little rolling, filling, crimping and you're almost there. I like to add a pinch of fresh cracked pepper to the fruits to enhance their flavor as they bake. The burnt sugar ice cream is one of my favorites from Dorie Greenspan, almost enough to make any man or woman swoon it is that good, creamy and tasty.
Breakfast that is enough make you want to give your mate an extra hug or kiss today and for the days to come...And for those of you who inquired about my friend Linda who was proposing with a ring and a box of heart macarons, I just got a text message that her partner said "yes!" and then there were pelnty of these "!" and a bunch of smileys....

Blackberry Apple Galettes And Burnt Sugar Ice Cream Recipe:
Makes three 5-inch galettes
For the Pate Sucree:
2 cups (250gr) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
pinch of salt
1 stick (113gr) butter, cut in small dices
1 egg
2-4 tablespoons cold water
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture ressembles forms pea size crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the egg. With a fork, start working the flour in a little at a time and when most of it is incorporated, quickly mix the dough into a coherent and smooth mass, adding some cold water, a tablespoon at a time, if necessary (this varies depending on the humidity or altitude of where you live). Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
For the fruit filling:
1 small apple (I chose Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar, divided
1 tablespoon (10gr)cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1 cup (200gr) blackberries
pinch of frech cracked black pepper
egg wash to brush the crust with before baking
In a medium saucepan set over medium low heat, cook the apple with one tablespoon of sugar and the lemon juice until fork tender. Add the blackberries and let them cook for a couple of minutes. Dilute the cornstarch in the water and add it to the fruits along with the cracked pepper. Cook until the mixture is not cloudy anymore from the cornstarch. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick and cut three 6-inch rounds in it and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Fill the center of each round with the filling and crimp the edges towards the center. I don't like to cover the fruit that much with the dough but that is a personal preference. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining sugar over the galettes. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, adapted from Dorie Greenspan:
1/2 cup (100gr)sugar
2 tablespoon water
2 cups(500ml) whole milk
1 cup (125ml) heavy cream
5 egg yolks
pinch of salt
Stir the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and cook until it becomes a caramel of deep amber color. Lower the heat and add the milk. It will bubble like mad but continue stirring until the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat. Add the cream and stir until combined.
In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks and salt until pale and thick. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over it and whisk to temper the yolks. Put the mixture back into the saucepan and cook until it coats the back of a spoon (creme anglaise consistency or 170 degrees F).
Let cool completely and refrigerate until very cold (preferably overnight. Process the ice according your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. Freeze for 2 hours or more or until firm to scoop.
91 comments:
So you awoke to the sound of music, haha - how fun!! :-D
Lovely galette treat!!
The bakery is closed and I feel I need to eat something of this nature right away... what is a girl to do? Looks too good to be true.
Oh, your Valentine's day sounds so lovely! I'm so glad, because you totally deserve it. Thanks to your blog, you bring a little sweetness to all our lives.
All luscious-sweetness for V day Helen!
The textures, flavors and photos are hard to resist!
Totally heavenly :)
Cheers!
Gera
Burnt sugar ice cream sounds amazing - Happy Valentine's Day!
What a treat for brekkie! I love how you make every small serving more glorious than it would be large. As for your friend - I know of no person who could say no against your creations. Work that magic, woman! xxoo
Kindhearted husbands...a blessing far beyond measure.....
The dessert is yet again so unbelievably amazing!!!! What gets to me,is that you do it with such little effort..phew!!!!
I had a great Valentines too, thx to my dear hubby!!!
Oh that's my kind of breakfast, Helen!! Just wonderful!!
What a nice way to be awakened:), and yummy breakfast too!
You always find the best looking fresh ingredients. You are gifted on many levels. How is the book coming????
How sweet of your husband! Ha those galettes are surely to please they look awesome and colours are fantastic. Seems you had a Happy Valentine's day and I m happy for you. The ice cream is really interesteing I v enever tried burnt sugar ice cream I realy wonder what it tastes like, Pity I odn t have an ice cream machine I would defiietly try it.
Oooh, I saw these gems on flickr a few days ago, they look so delicious and light!
Hi there Helen! I stumbled across your blog a couple of days ago on Flickr... and since then I have been spending my free time trying to catch up on all of your exquisite desserts and charming stories! I just wanted to say thank you so much for being willing to share your expertise with us! I appreciate the way that you make these daunting desserts seem so much more attainable! I am looking forward to given them a try... seeing what you come up with next... and buying your book when it come out! :) All the best!
What a lovely story.... The tartes look amazing, so does the ice-cream. I had never heard from burnt sugar ice- cream before!! Will give it a try! Thanks!
Nice pairing! That dessert looks delightfully good!
Cheers,
Rosa
Absolutely gorgeous!
How romantic!
Lovely to have these galettes and ice cream for breakfast...yum!
this is my kind of breakfast!!
Those galettes looks wonderful...and the ice cream just takes them over the top! Just love-ly!
Beautiful post Helen...what a thoughtful man, & you are just right for him! Gorgeous galettes too. Do you think strawberries would work iso blacknerries?That's the only berries we get here!
What a perfect way to start Valentine's Day. Actually, wouldn't it be a lovely way to start any day? So glad that you like the ice cream -- it's a favorite of mine as well.
Those galettes look like the most divine breakfast ever. Sounds like you had a lovely Valentines Day!
Your husband sounds very *sweet*! What a cute way to begin V-Day. These sound amazing... and I'm especially intrigued w/ the burnt sugar ice cream!
Amazing, as always!
I keep meaning to ask, what camera do you use for your incredible pictures?
By coincidence, I've also chosen to make burnt sugar ice cream for Valentine's Day, which I had never made before.
I've added a small pinch of Fleur de Sel de Guérande in the sugar before burning it. It gives a special but non-salty taste to the ice cream. Exquisite!
The ice-cream sounds delicious and perfect for the galettes! What a great valentine's day.
Tres belle tarte ! heureuse de retrouver ton blog et tes douceurs.
biz cindy
You always have the sweetest story!
I really must try the ice cream! Perhaps a big dinner this coming week.
Most beautiful Helen.
What a wonderful way to wake up...galette's are so easy to prepare but I feel they look so special. Oh, and dessert for breakfast is a great way to start the day, don't you think?
Southern Daze: I use a Canon Rebel XTI. I bought the body only and added a couple of prime lenses everytime I had saved enough :)
Wow! Everything about this dessert looks and sounds delicious. I wish that I could have some right now!
What a sweetie! Those galettes are just beautiful.
Thank you for giving in to Rick's request that you post larger pictures :) You made his day and consequently mine because I can't stop drooling over the galettes...again! Thank you for bringing these over!
xoxo
Andrea
Oh Tartelette! You made galettes! I love how you turned a rustic item into a mouth watering dessert! Well done!
I love that your song is "I can't give you anything but love" - we sing that as a duet in this house!
What a lovely way to start valentine day! Haha... I had to laugh as my sweetheart thought it was the perfect time to go out and catch a fish early in the morning... And I had to work. So much for romance this year!
I'm sure we'll make it up next year.
Loved your story!!
Simone
The galette and ice cream looks wonderful. I've made lots of ice creams from "The Perfect Scoop", but I've never tried any of Dorie Greenspans. It's funny to see that I just read this-I have 2 apple galettes in my oven baking right now!
Oh my...this looks and sounds delicious!
Sounds like you had a wonderful v-day Helen! I love that you called the ice cream "burnt sugar" instead of "caramel". Très avant-garde!
Marc: actualyly it's not me, DOrie calls it like that so the credit goes to her!
Thank you everyone!
Looks beautiful! You have such a sweet husband!!
Oh my! That looks fantastic! I bet it was the sweetest Valentine's morning!
I must try this burnt sugar ice cream!!!
love the pics!
You two are so romantic. How lucky you are to have each other. This breakfast looks incredible, I can't wait to try that ice cream. Happy Valentine's Day!
Burnt sugar ice cream looks & sounds really good! I'd better try that sometime.
So beautiful your dessert. I would love it.
How wonderfully romantic. He sounds like a very special man Helene.
Your galettes are gorgeous. Mine end up looking rustic and yours are so sophisticated. I must print this as an inspiration as to what a true galette should look like.
Sam
oooh i love that burnt sugar ice cream, too! fyi, the first photo on blog isn't showing up for me - "this photo unavailable" it says.
So romantic. How completely wonderful he is to you and you are to him. Beautiful!
I too could not see the first photo.
What a lovely Valentine's Day for you!
Galettes are my favorite and I never tire of them. This combination of fruit and ice cream sounds heavenly. Thank you so much!
Helen- your day sounded perfect! We share something in common- my love plays instrument too (guitar) and wrote another song for me.
Thank you Helen for always giving from the heart! Hmmm... do you think you will ever move to the Chicago area?! Many hugs... and a golden day!
PS your caramels were a hit even for a mother in law that doesn't eat sweets!!! xoxo
Not sure what happened to the first picture but it's been fixed. I think.
Thank you everyone!
It looks so tempting even after Valentine's Day! I love the little ice cream container with the spoon attached to it! May I ask where you got it?
I love galettes! So easy to fill with different fruits and no mess with fitting the dough into the pie plate, etc...!
The ice cream sounds out of this world!
What a sweet valentine you have there!!! I love that...a trombone serenade!
Oh my goodness gracious these look good! What a sweet hubby! Mmmmm...I can tell I've been missing all kinds of yumminess while I've been doing the postpartum thing...time to catch up!
what a wonderful day! and it really does not get much better than pie and ice cream for breakfast...
Deeba: the galette works with any fruit combination.
Anonymous: the ice cream container was a bridesmaid gift from my friend Lisa, and she got it at Sur La Table.
How incredibly lovely and sweet and that ice cream is making my heart melt....I.want.that.ice.cream! :)
Thank you so much for sharing this! YUM.
xo
Melis
Sounds like you had the most romatic and perfect of days. Loving this ice cream.
We've only done apple and pear galettes. It's time to experiment with berries!
What a wonderful way to start a day!
What a sweet couple you two must be. I like that even the dogs got a little treat in the end with their tags!
Galettes and ice cream for breakfast! Now that is decadent...but I bet it was delicious!
I've discovered your blog from an italian blog (it was an article about your explication about photographs)...Your blog is wonderful!! Your recipes are very interesting...!!
Daer Tartelette, I pop in here every now and then and I always find some inspiring recipe, elegant pictures and original ideas. Your are simply GREAT. Regards from sunny (but cold) Italy !!!
What a delicious way to serve the galette.
Cheers,
Elra
What a great way to start the day!!!
the burnt ice cream and blackberry photo's are incredible!
I should be so lucky to have such an extravagant and delicious treat like that, Helen! I love your ice cream and the berries... Yum!
As long as he wasn't playing a Sousa march--perfection! :-) The galette looks lovely and amazing, just like your sweet day. :-)
That ice cream sounds out of this world decadent!
Spectacular photos, Helen. And I think I'd really like that ice cream.
How marvelous! What a terrific way to start the day!
What's more romantic? A serenade or those tasty galettes... Erm... Don't think I'll ever be serenaded so the galettes win!!
Delightful!! I haven't made that ice cream yet, but every time I open Dorie's book it jumps out at me. I better get churning:)
Congrats on being one of the world's best food blogs!! I just saw the article! http://is.gd/jRiD. Good for you!! Well deserved indeed!
i just want those blackberries...
that's so cute about your friend texting you with the results!!! ahaha! hmmm i will be giving whoever proposes to me a box of heart macarons. indeed.
ps i love that little ice cream pot/thing you have there. tres chouette!
Fabulous breakfast - I think you have all the food groups nicely covered ;o)
Congrats on making it to the Times Online World's Best 50 Food Blog, Helen...just brilliant! Am thrilled for you!
What a yummy looking breakfast. My husband is also a trombonist, although I never wake up to his practicing because he always sleeps later than me.
ok, the story about the dogs being Valentine's messengers is just tooo cute :D
so beautiful sweet helen! what a amazing valentine--so romatic in every way!
Can I eat your photos?? lol, they are absolutely a joy to look at :-):-)
Burnt sugar ice cream? Sounds like just about the most delicious thing ever.
i love dorie's burnt sugar ice cream! i'd never think to pair it with a fruit galette :) beautiful photos, as usual
Thank you for sharing the recipe for this blackberry and apple galettes ...it looks so delicious...
I just made the gallettes with peaches and blackberries. So nummy. and I was inspired by your photos to shape them nicely, and to do the egg wash, which really spiffs them up. I served them Saturday to guests, and just made more to share tomorrow with my CityFruit group - we pick fruit from donated trees, and take to the Food Bank.
We just made this for the TWD group. I also used 5 egg yolks, but only because I had a double yolk in the mix. The ice cream must have been wonderful with the blackberry and apple galette. It's nearly blackberry season here. I'll definitely try your combination soon.
Hi:)
Can anyone please tell me what the purpose of the corn starch in the fruit mix is? Would it work without this? I have corn flour, which I assume is the same thing...but want to know why it is necessary.
I'm making this recipe on the weekend EXCITED:)
I'm baking these right now:) They look good! Unfortunately my oven is really old and not very good; it doesn't turn anything golden brown. They've been in there for 20 minutes already and still not golden. I hope I don't overcook them!
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