Loquat, Strawberry, and Mascarpone mini Galettes

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like” -Mark Twain

Well that sure is some pleasant advice! What if I like eating pie? Can I eat all the pie?? The perfect solution – bake mini galettes, throw in some fruit, and it’s kinda healthy too, right? 🙂

What is a galette? This is a French term for, usually, a flat, round, flaky pastry, often made of pie crust, but baked without a pie pan. It can be savory or sweet – and this one is definitely sweet! This galette recipe includes loquats, which are a Chinese fruit, orange in color, and sweet when ripe. I also added in some strawberries because the flavors tend to complement each other. Mascarpone brings the whole galette up a notch! Hope you enjoy it!

Crust

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tsp sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into cubes

4 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, mix first 3 ingredients until combined. Next, add the small cubes of butter and pulse in processor until you get course crumbs. Now add the water, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together. You may have to add 1 or 2 more or less tbsp than I did to get that nice dough consistency. Take the dough out of the processor, shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Filling and Assembly

Dough

1 box strawberries, chopped

10-15 loquats, peeled and chopped

1 8 oz box mascarpone cheese

1 egg (beat, to use as eggwash)

Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out the chilled dough and use a round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut dough into mini circles, about 4 inches in diameter. Spread the mascarpone in the center of each circle (as you see in the photos), leaving a border without any mascarpone to fold. Place 4-5 cubes of each fruit into the center of each galette. Next fold the edges towards the center, overlapping, until all folded in, with the center left exposed. Cover the dough with the eggwash. Place the galettes in the oven for about 12 minutes or golden in color. Remove, let cool, and enjoy!