RECIPE: cheat's stone fruit & apple galette

Calling this pudding a galette makes it sound so glam, and it looks like something a person who's been to chef school would concoct, but it's a doddle.

Most often a pastry-based fruit pudding or tart feels like a bit of a bind. For a start, pastry-making is not for everyone (okay, let's be honest, it's hardly for anyone at all), and peeling and coring apples, well just reading about it makes you feel overwhelmed.

But why make your own pastry when excellent all-butter puff is in the supermarket? Why use whole fresh apples when perfect canned ones are there for the plucking?

Try this cheat's version:

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup seasonal stone fruit, roughly sliced

1 cup tinned apples or pears, drained

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp apricot jam

1 tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of cinnamon

zested lemon rind, to taste

1 packet readymade all-butter puff pastry

Cream, to serve

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 200C.  

2) Mix the stone fruit and canned apples or pears in a bowl.

3) Melt together the butter, jam and brown sugar, adding the cinnamon and lemon rind.

4) Mix the jam mixture with the fruit.

5) Lay fruit on top of a 30x30cm (roughly) square of readymade all-butter puff pastry which you've thrown hastily onto a greased baking sheet. Leave a naked surround, and flip edges onto and over the fruit slightly.

6) Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve hot with cream.