Apricot, Honey and Thyme Galette
An apricot galette is a free-form puff pastry tart: ready-rolled all-butter puff, a thin almond frangipane, apricot slices and a warm honey and thyme drizzle, all baked in one piece on a hot tray. It takes about 20 minutes to put together and 35 to bake, serves six to eight, and needs no tin, no blind baking and no neat edges. It is one of the more forgiving things you can bake: there is no tin, no blind baking and no need for neat edges, since the whole point is that it looks handmade. The frangipane sits in a thin layer under the fruit, catching the apricot juices so the base stays crisp rather than soggy, and the honey goes on warm at the end so it soaks into the hot pastry and glazes the fruit. Apricots are the summer version, but the same galette works with almost any stone fruit as the seasons turn.
Apricot, Honey and Thyme Galette
A rustic, free-form puff pastry galette with a thin almond frangipane, baked apricots and a warm honey and thyme drizzle poured over the top. One of the easier ways into summer baking.
Ingredients
- 500g block of all-butter puff pastry
- 50g softened unsalted butter
- 50g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the apricots
- 50g ground almonds
- 2 large eggs (1 for the frangipane, 1 for glazing)
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- 500g ripe apricots (about 8 to 10), stoned and sliced into 8ths
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- 3 tbsp (about 60g) English honey
- 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- Greek yoghurt or ice cream, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). If you can, slide a flat baking tray or a perforated pizza tray in to heat up: a hot tray helps crisp the base, though it is not essential.
- Beat the softened butter with the 50g of caster sugar until pale and creamy.
- Beat one egg into the butter along with the vanilla, then fold in the ground almonds to a soft, spreadable paste. Beat the second egg in a small bowl and set it aside for glazing.
- Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a rough circle about 3 to 4mm thick. Keep the edges rustic or trim to a neater round. Spread the frangipane thinly over it, leaving a 3 to 4cm border clear all the way round.
- Arrange the apricot halves over the frangipane, cut-side up, nestling them close in a single layer in concentric circles, and scatter with the 1 tbsp of caster sugar.
- Fold the border up and over the edge of the fruit, pleating as you go, then brush the folded pastry with the second beaten egg and sprinkle it with the demerara.
- Slide the galette, still on its parchment, onto the hot tray, or onto a perforated pizza tray if that is what you are using, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and crisp underneath and the frangipane is set.
- While it bakes, warm the honey gently with the thyme until fragrant, then take it off the heat and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle the warm honey over the galette. Serve warm or at room temperature, with yoghurt, crème fraîshe or ice cream.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
390Protein
6 gSugar
25 gCarbs
40 gFat
0 gApproximate values per serving
Ingredient Notes
Puff pastry
Use an all-butter puff. A block gives the best flavour and lift, and you roll it out yourself to a rough circle, which lets you set the thickness and cut a proper round if you want it neat. Keep it cold until the moment you roll it, as warm puff loses its layers and bakes flat.
Ground almonds and the frangipane
The frangipane is equal weights of butter, sugar and ground almonds bound with egg, spread thinly so it sets to a soft layer rather than a thick sponge. It does quiet but important work, holding the fruit in place and soaking up the juices that would otherwise make the base wet.
Apricots
Ripe but firm apricots are what you want. Too soft and they slump into the frangipane; underripe and they stay sharp and dry. Good apricots with a little give roast down to something jammy while still holding their shape. This is also a reliable way to use stone fruit as the sugar and heat concentrate the flavour.
Honey
A runny honey is essential so it drizzles and soaks in. A local or English honey brings more character than a neutral supermarket one, and the thyme infusion adds a savoury, herby edge that stops the whole thing tasting purely sweet. Avoid a very dark, strong honey, which can dominate the apricots.
Thyme
Regular garden thyme is what this is built on, steeped into the honey and scattered fresh at the end. Lemon thyme, if you have it, leans the flavour towards citrus and works beautifully with apricot.
Kitchen Notes
Give the base bottom heat
A hot tray under the galette crisps the base by hitting the pastry before the fruit juices can soak in. A preheated flat tray is ideal, but a perforated pizza tray works too and needs no preheating, since the holes let the base dry out underneath. Either helps towards a crisp bottom, though neither is essential.
Spread the frangipane thin
A thick layer takes too long to cook through and can stay raw under the fruit. A thin, even layer with a clear border sets properly and does its job of catching juice without turning stodgy.
One layer, cut-side up
Keep the apricots in a single layer so they roast and catch a little colour rather than steaming. Piling them up traps moisture and softens the pastry underneath.
Chill before baking (optional)
If your kitchen is warm or the pastry has softened while you worked, chill the assembled galette for 15 to 20 minutes before it goes in. Cold pastry holds its pleats and puffs more strongly. This is an extra step, not part of the base method, so skip it if the pastry is still cold and firm.
Best the day it is made
Puff is at its best fresh. The galette will still be good the next day but the base softens, so eat it the day you bake it if you can.
Variations
Other stone fruit
Plums, peaches, nectarines or a mix all work in place of apricots, so this carries right through summer. Sharper fruit like plums may want an extra tablespoon of sugar sprinkled over.
Change the nut
Swap the ground almonds for ground hazelnuts or pistachios in the frangipane for a different flavour under the fruit. Keep the weights the same.
Rosemary instead of thyme
Infuse the honey with a small sprig of rosemary rather than thyme for a deeper, more resinous note, or use lemon thyme for a brighter, citrus lift.
Shortcrust base
If you prefer a firmer, more traditional galette, use an all-butter shortcrust in place of the puff. It holds the shape more precisely and stays crisp a little longer, though you lose the soft flaky lift.
Serving Suggestions
How to serve
Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges. A spoonful of something cool and slightly sharp alongside is what it wants: crème fraîche, greek yoghurt or a scoop of good vanilla ice cream all cut through the sweetness of the honey and pastry.
When to serve
It works as a pudding after dinner or as something for a lazy weekend afternoon. Because it is free-form and quick to assemble, it is an easy thing to put together when people are coming over.
Portion sizes
One galette cuts into six generous wedges or eight smaller slices. With cream on the side, the smaller slice tends to be plenty.
Drinks
As a pudding it takes a small glass of something sweet and cold: a chilled Muscat or a late-harvest wine echoes the honey and apricot without overwhelming them. For an afternoon slice, a pot of strong black tea balances the richness cleanly.
Zero Waste
If you trim the pastry to a round, bake the offcuts alongside the galette with a little sugar and cinnamon for a cook's treat rather than binning them. The thyme-infused honey keeps in a jar for weeks and is lovely stirred into yoghurt, porridge or a cup of tea, so make a little extra if you like. Apricots that are slightly past their best raw are ideal here, as baking rescues dull or soft fruit. And any leftover galette is worth keeping: a slice warmed briefly in the oven the next day crisps the base back up far better than the microwave, which steams it soft.
FAQ
Can I make an apricot galette ahead?
You can assemble it a few hours ahead and keep it chilled, then bake to order. Baked, it is best eaten the same day, as the puff base softens overnight.
Puff or shortcrust for a galette?
Both work. Puff gives a light, flaky, risen edge; shortcrust gives a firmer, crisper base that holds its shape and stays crisp a little longer. This recipe uses all-butter puff.
What other fruit can I use?
Plums, peaches, nectarines or a mix all work in place of apricots. Adjust the sugar up slightly for sharper fruit.
Why is my galette base soggy?
Usually the frangipane was too thick, the fruit was piled up, or the base did not get enough bottom heat. Keep the frangipane thin and the fruit in a single layer, and bake on a preheated tray or a perforated pizza tray, both of which help the base crisp.
Can I use tinned apricots?
Fresh is much better here, as tinned apricots hold too much water and will not roast or hold their shape. If you must, drain them very well and pat dry.
