Originally this was supposed to be just poached pears in spicy red wine topped with this magnificient pepper…then after some more thoughts, I decided to add a crust under the pears and make it a galette, a rugged and peasant type of galette, full of flavors but yet delicate. I love when dishes are a mix of rustic and delicate at the same time (actually thinking about it, I love when people do have this type of contradiction too!), otherwise it gets too predictable.

My friend Laurent brought me this amazing pepper from France, it’s a Madagascar pepper infused with vanilla and chocolate…and I just wanted to create a little sweet thing where fruits marry this pepper, and this is it. I will make it again and again until I ran out of pepper.

The crust is light and nutritious, a little unusual since I used a very fragrant olive oil instead of butter, and the pears are poached in spicy red wine. This is truly a delicious and fragrant treat, and a third of the calories of the traditional desserts. To be consumed…without moderation!

Ingredients for one large galette

For the dough

• 3 tbs whole grain farro flour
• 1 tbs amaranth flour
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs water
• 2 tbs coconut sugar

For the filling

• 1.5 medium red d’Anjou pears, peeled and medium sliced
• 200 ml red wine
• 1 tbs honey
• 2 tbs coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• 1 tbs apricot jam or apricot fruit spread (which I prefer since there is less sugar)
• 1/2 tsp Luna pepper

Preparation

For the dough

In a wooden surface or mixing container, mix flours together, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to obtain an homogeneous and smooth dough. Set aside.

For the filling

In a deep pan, mix wine with sugar, honey and vanilla extract (including cinnamon if you like it). Mix well to dissolve sugar. Place pear slices evenly in pan and let cook until cooked but still firm. You want to avoid mushy pears, they’ll be hard to handle. When cooked, drain liquid and let the pear cool down.

Roll dough with rolling pin, about 3-4 mm thick forming a galette, and spread apricot jam or Fruit spread on top. Place pear slices evenly leaving 1.5 inches to form a border. Sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Bring the sides of the galette back inside.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 20-30 minutes until the galette is cooked. Check to bottom part of if to ensure it’s cooked.

When cooked, sprinkle poivre la luna pepper or any other fragrant pepper on top and eat lukewarm.

Feeling like quinoa? after quinoa salads, I wanted something cakey but savory…My baby parrotlet Lilou ate all of the quinoa I made last Saturday, he loves quinoa and barley so now we share the same meals. There is always an extra portion for Lilou – Seems like quinoa is a bird seed along with millet but I do love bird seeds.

This particular parrotlet loves when I cook, he is so curious and intrigued to the point that when I chop vegetables, he gets so excited, he flies from his cage into the kitchen and starts chirping; just adorable.

I had a quinoa galette a few years ago in Paris at “La Maison du Danemark” on the Champs Elysées, a quite famous fish and seafood restaurant serving a Danish contemporary cuisine with an elegant touch and once in a while when preparing quinoa, I think about that galette.

With years going by, I really don’t remember what was in the galette, it seemed plain, I just felt like turning those cute seeds into something solid to bite on. After all, galettes are delicious, you don’t need to add too many ingredients into the mixture, you just enhance them with a coulis or a cream of vegetables like this one.

Dans le même esprit (in the same style), I made millet galettes a while ago, that are a derivative of those, so you can just play around with the ingredients and have fun. I used almond flour to thicken the batter and it added a pleasant nutty flavor. I like to steam quinoa, like I would do for steam rice, and usually I use 2 doses of water for one dose of quinoa.

Ingredients for 3-4 galettes

For the quinoa galettes

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (or 1 cup uncooked)
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbs almond flour
• 1 tbs mint, chopped
• salt and pepper

For the cream of leeks

• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbs crème fraîche or heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cook quinoa in a pot covered with twice its quantity of water. Cover with a lid and cook slowly until the water has been absorbed.

Heat olive oil in a pan, brown onions, then add mushrooms and bel pepper. Adjust with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and let it cook until the vegetables are tender but still firm. Remove from heat and add to the quinoa.

Add eggs and almond flour, mix well. Add mint and adjust with salt and pepper. At this point, the mixture will be thick but still smooth.

Place in silicon molds of about 10 cm diameter or greased ramequins. I love silicon molds because the food doesn’t stick and cooks quickly. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 20 minutes.

While the galettes are cooking, prepare the cream of leeks. In a pan, heat olive oil then add leeks. Stir for about 3 minutes, then add broth, salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook until the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cream and stir well, cook for another additional 5 minutes.

Blend in a mixer, and if the sauce is too thick add more broth.

Serve each galette with a few spoonful of leek cream around.