The would-be effortless, elegant entertainer in me has a love affair with galettes. These rustic, free-form tarts make an impressive presentation for savory appetizers and fresh fruit desserts. Any season’s freshest offerings look gorgeous but humble nestled in toasty, flaky dough — and the flavors and colors of summer fruit lend themselves easily to this style of baking.

Here’s how you can customize galettes with the seasonal filling of your choice:

• Perfect the piecrust. Our Basic Pie Dough recipe won’t fail you, and it provides the exact proportions for one 10-inch galette. After preparing the dough, be sure to refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out and adding the fruit.
• Taste, taste, taste. This Any-Kind-of-Fruit Galette pairs with a variety of fillings. The ingredients call for fresh fruit, sugar, flour and salt, but since some fruits are naturally sweeter than others, you need to rely on your taste buds. Add a bit of sugar, taste and repeat until you reach your desired sweetness. Similarly, start with a bit of flour and continue adding until you’re satisfied with the thickness of the filling.
• Don’t sweat the shape. After you spoon the fruit filling on top of your dough, then pleat the edges, creating the folds that hold the galette together. Don’t obsess over making every wrinkle completely uniform; it’s the imperfections that give this dish an appealing homemade feel.

Either create your own filling by following the tips above or use any of these galette recipes to get started.

Berry Galette	Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette
Fig Galette	Apricot and Almond Galette

About the author: Olivia Terenzio grew up in Mississippi, where she cultivated a love of sweet potatoes, crawfish and cloth napkins at a young age. A passion for sharing food with friends and family led her into the kitchen and later to culinary school, where she learned how to roast a chicken and decorate a cake like a pro. As a Williams-Sonoma blog editor, she’s now lucky enough to be talking, writing and thinking about food all day.