My fig tree is full of lovely sweet squishy brown fruit. In the past I picked all of those precious jewels and turned them into jam. I haven’t been in the jam and jelly mood over the past few years so I thought why not try my hand at something baked. Thus a fig galette with cream cheese was thrown together with random things I already had on hand.

My husband Ben always says I am great at recycling meals. Taking all those bits and bobs in the pantry and refrigerator and turning them into something great. I like that food isn’t wasted. I also like the challenge of “I have these items. What can I make?” The challenges in the many facets of leading a makers life is quite enjoyable to me. After picking half a water pitcher full of figs I started rummaging through the fridge to see what I could make.

Items I found in my fridge for the fig galette

• Rolled pie crust
• Orange marmalade
• Whipped cream cheese

Items from the pantry for the fig galette

• Vanilla
• Sugar

What is a galette?

“Galette from the Norman word gale meaning flat cake is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes,” ~ Wikipedia. I knew I had not been able to pick enough figs to make a full pie. I didn’t feel like pulling out the ladder to harvest the figs out of my immediate reach. So the idea of making a fig galette seemed just perfect.

Fig Galette with Cream Cheese

• 1-2 quarts of fresh figs
• 1 rolled pie crust (thawed)
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• ¼ cup cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Rinse the figs. Trim the top stems off and cut the figs into quarters.
3. Roll out the thawed pie crust onto a baking sheet or into a glass pie dish.
4. Spread the orange marmalade on the pie crust.
5. Heat the cream cheese in a small bowl just until it is smooth enough to stir. Add in the vanilla then spoon and smooth over the marmalade.
6. Arrange the figs in the center, leaving about 2 inches from the edges uncovered.
7. Sprinkle the sugar over the figs.
8. Fold the edges on the crust over the figs.
9. Bake for 40 minutes. Crust should be nice and golden and the center is bubbly.
10. Allow the fig galette to cool and set. Slice and serve with a bit of whipped or ice cream.

Since I just grabbed things i had on hand you could definitely change this up to fit your needs and ingredients. I am sure any jam or jelly would be quite tasty. I’d also like to try it with some goat cheese and bit of bacon to make a more savory version.

What figs I didn’t use made for a nice watercolor sketch. I love the color combinations. It’s like the bright green skin acquires a rosey blush with the green still showing through. And figuring out how to illustrate that with watercolors, colored pencils, and whatever else I feel might work was a fun challenge. I am constantly inspired by nature. And the nature that grows food for me is even more alluring. Hope you get the chance to try this recipe.