Pumpkin seed frangipane

I love making galettes. I think maybe it’s that rustic “I woke up like this” kind of look that draws me in. I guess it’s a childhood thing (when isn’t it, right?). I’ve always preferred home made imperfect pies, sheet pan cakes, rustic quick breads and ricotta cakes to bakery preppy muffins, frosted birthday cakes, ultra smooth cheesecakes or super sweet canned fruit pies. There is something about it not being exactly the same every time, the slight changes depending on what you have on hand, something about favouring flavour instead of perfection that gets my attention and triggers my imagination.

So later on I found out I love galettes. Even when the crust breaks and the bottom becomes a syrupy mess I’d still pick that in a heartbeat instead of a bakery cake. It’s just me I guess, that’s the way I roll. Maybe it has to do also with the fact that I love baking without a recipe (just following some guidelines) and making it up as I go. The old school way, how I’ve seen my mom doing it or how my grandmas used to think about the art of baking. Master a dough or a base and just make variations. So I have a few of those bases for pie and galette purposes. A plant based butter one, an olive oil one, and lately, since right now I live on an island where avocados are local and available all year round, of course, an avocado one. But I’ll cover bases, so to say, in another post that I’ll link here.

I generally make the same crust for savoury and sweet pies, with minor flavour variantions (think adding lemon or orange zest for sweet or nutritional yeast, pepper, cumin, etc for the savoury). But from the sugar quantity point of view I don’t really like overly sweet things and it’s quite refreshing to combine a light crust with a sweet filling.

With that in mind, it’s nectarine season and I thought I’d try a different approach to the necatrine galette. I got some fruit more on the acidic side with a lot of flavour (local, organic, from a small farm. They only have one nectarine tree, but they are sooo good) and I thought I’d pair it with some rich frangipane like filling but instead of almonds or pistachios I wanted to use pumpkin seeds. They are available everywhere, much cheaper than the former alternatives and more sustainable because of their water necesities. Plus their health benefits. Plus discovering a new flavour profile. (If they needed an image boost)

Pumpkin seeds are full of antioxidants (vitamin E, carotenoids), high in magnesium and fiber, iron, vitamin K, they contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, help lower cholesterol, help promote sleep. So, in a pumpkin seed shell, really good for you.

I made two of them when I first experimented with this idea and brought one to visit some friends for tea. Truth is it had more success than I imagined for being something new, at its first test drive. Everybody wanted a second slice and said it’s like nothing they’ve tried before (in a good way). So try it, experiment with the flavours, make it yours and share it with people.

  • 1 favourite crust recipe

  • 50 ml olive oil

  • 30g cocnut oil (swap with cacao butter for an even richer result)

  • 50g corn starch

  • 200g pumpkin seeds (lightly roasted and ground into a meal, not very fine)

  • 50 g almond flour (adjust the quantity to your taste)

  • 100 ml plant milk

  • 100g coconut sugar

  • 30g dates (swap with agave syrup for a lighter frangipane)

  • spices and zest (cardamom and orange zest for a warmer feel or ginger and lemon zest for a fresher one, but feel free to try out any combinations you might like)

  • pinch of salt

  • 2-3 nectarines sliced

Blend the dates with some of the milk until you get a creamy consistency.

Mix everything in the filling part, except for the fruit. You should get a thick, sticky cream. Try it and adjust the sweetnes to your liking.

Flatten the dough roughly into a circle. Spoon the cream onto the crust, leaving a 1-2 cm space from the margins. Arrange the nectarines on top of the cream, in the desired pattern.

Carrefully fold the margins on top of the filling. Don’t worry about being neat.

Bake the galette for about 45-50 minutes in a preheated oven at 160-170°C, or until the crust is golden and the fruit looks slightly dry. Leave to cool at room temperature before cutting.