Fall can be a confusing time. Don’t get me wrong– it’s one of my favorite seasons. (Out of four, it’s probably number one!) For one thing, there is always the crisis of what to wear. Tights or bare legs? Sandals still, or do you move on to flats? Light sweaters in the morning, jackets for an evening stroll. You see– these are serious issues.

Once you have managed to get yourself dressed for the day, there is the issue of what to eat. It’s a good thing that I don’t find this issue quite so vexing. In fact, I rather enjoy these crossovers.

I was at the farmers market last week, and one of the vendors was selling rhubarb. Spindly and springish, this vegetable cum fruit actually grows from high spring to early fall. I bought some, and stuck it in the fridge until I decided what to do with it. A few days later I spotted black mission figs at the market, and knew that the kitchen was calling.

I went home and made a galette– the lazy man’s pie. The tart acidity of the rhubarb mixed with the richness and potency of the figs making the perfect combination. Neither one of these “fruits” is overly juicy, so they were an ideal match for an open-faced dessert, but the juices that they did create were intoxicating.

Simply kissed with sugar, and baked with crushed hazelnuts on top, this galette was just the dessert to eat on a fall day. And to quote Little Edie Bouvier Beale, I even found “the best costume of the day,” to wear while chewing– sleeveless dress, cardigan sweater, and flats.

Fig-Rhubarb Galette

2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups fresh figs, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 disc pie dough

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, toss the rhubarb completely with sugar and salt. Add the figs, flour, and vanilla, and toss gently trying to keep the figs in tact. Set aside.

Roll out the pie dough, approximately 12-14 inches around. Transfer the dough to a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Spread the fruit filling, leaving about 2 inches free around the perimeter of the dough. Sprinkle on the nuts.

Fold the dough over the filling, gently pressing the dough together as you go. This creates the crust; and the galette will be free-form. If you would like, brush the crust in cream, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, then let cool on the cookie sheet, before slicing.