Ingredients (for 6)

115 g (1 cup) flour
5 ml (1 teaspoon) sugar
a pinch of salt
75 ml (5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
1 egg
5 ml (1 teaspoon) milk
Apricot, pear or peach jam
3 or 4 pears
30 ml (2 tablespoons) melted butter

The oldest of all pastries according to the Larousse gastronomique, made primarily in the French countryside, this biscuit-cake is baked without a mould. You can give it any shape you want (why not try a pear shape?). This preparation can be warmed up a little before being served, (recipe adapted from Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax, Chapters Publishing, 1994).

Galette: In a food processor or in a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Incorporate the butter cut up into small pieces. Beat 1 egg and 5 ml of milk in a cup. Pour about half the whipped egg on the flour, sugar and salt preparation and shape into a ball. It should be sticky. Refrigerate in wax paper for approximately 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, spread out the dough into a 25-cm circular (or any other) shape. Place the dough on a buttered metal plate. Fold up the edge of the dough about 1/2 cm. Groove the edges and apply a little whipped egg. With a brush, spread a layer of apricot, pear or peach jam on the bottom of the biscuit cake. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the pears.

Pears: Peel, slice into quarters and core 3 or 4 pears. Slice each of the quarters into 5 or 6 sections.

Assembly: Lay out the pear slices on the biscuit-cake, making sure to keep 6 of them to decorate the centre of the cake. Using a brush, apply the melted butter on the pears and dust with a little sugar. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 oC (425 F) for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the pears are tender.