Black Forest Galette with Buttermilk Ice Cream

A flaky rich chocolate crust with a juicy, tart and boozy cherry filling topped with a tangy and sweet ice cream; all the flavours of a Black Forest Gateau, reimagined in a flat round freeform pie. Alicja Sieronski has baked up this reimagined classic, just for us.

This showstopper is surprisingly easy too - just make sure your butter, flour, water and hands are really cold and work quickly so as not to overwork the dough. Feel free to use a shop bought ice cream for an even more fuss-free yet impressive dessert.

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30 min prep

30 min chilling

40 min bake time

Serves 6

Ingredients

CHERRY FILLING

- 250g pitted black cherries, fresh or from a tin or jar (drained)
- 250g pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 150ml (⅔ cup) pure tart cherry juice
- 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 tablespoons Kirsch or other cherry brandy (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch

CHOCOLATE PIE CRUST

- 240g (2 cups) plain flour
- 200g dark chocolate, or shop bought dark chocolate curls
- 175g (¾ cup) unsalted butter (very cold)
- 50g (4 tablespoons) icing sugar
- 25g (¼ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 1 egg

BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM (IF MAKING)

- 360g (1 ½ cup) buttermilk
- 180g (¾ cup) double cream
- 180g (¾ cup) whole milk
- 8 large egg yolks
- 150g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 100g honey
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt

YOU’LL ALSO NEED

- Ice cream maker
- Medium or large Franklin Lade glass container for freezing the ice cream
- Stand mixer or hand-held electric whisk
- Non-stick parchment paper
- Cling Film

Method

1. For the cherry filling, place all the cherries, the tart cherry juice, vanilla bean paste, sugar and kirsch into a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer.

2. In a small cup, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, making a thin paste. Pour this into the cherry mix and stir for a minute until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and set aside to cool completely.

3. For the crust, sieve the flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl, and add a pinch of salt.

4. Cut the very cold butter into small cubes or grate it using a box grater.

5. Now, quickly rub the flour and butter together (taking care not to allow the butter to get too soft), until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

6. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice-cold water at a time and bind until the dough just starts to come together, taking care not to overwork it. It will be very crumbly still, at this point.

7. Tip the dough onto your work surface and gather into a heap. Form a ball then flatten before wrapping it in clingfilm. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour, until firm.

8. Heat the oven to 200C / 180 fan / 400 F / Gas mark 6 and line a medium size baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

9. Once the pastry dough has chilled, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle between two pieces of non- stick parchment paper. Trim the edges by using a large, inverted plate or bowl to trace the outline. Use remaining scraps to fill in any gaps or tears within the rolled-out dough.

10. Gently transfer and flip the dough over onto the pre-lined baking sheet.

11. Spoon the cherry filling into the centre about 2 inches (5 cm) from the edge. Fold crust upward and onto the sides of the cherries creating pleats about every 1 ½ inches (4 cm).

12. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush lightly all over the crust.

13. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is soft yet holds up firm when touched and the cherries have become bubbly. Remove from the heat and allow to rest over a wire rack for 10 minutes.

NB: you can skip this next step if you’re using shop-bought chocolate curls

14. Meanwhile, for the chocolate curls, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan with simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the back of a large baking sheet. Let it cool and set before running a big knife over the length of it and scraping the chocolate curls off.

15. When the crust is cooled, sprinkle the chocolate curls all over it to decorate.

NB: Feel free to use shop-bought vanilla ice cream instead, if you choose to do this you can skip the next few steps!

16. If you’re making the buttercream ice cream too (delicious!) place the double cream, milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

17. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar with an electric whisk or in a stand mixer.

18. Once the cream is simmering, turn the heat to low and slowly pour the hot liquid into the yolks while whisking on low speed.

19. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue stirring until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, around 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the buttermilk.

20. Transfer to your glass container, placing plastic film directly against the surface of the liquid to prevent a skin from forming, then put on the lid and chill until the mixture is cold. Finally, prepare in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

21. Bring out the full galette with plates, a sharp knife and ice cream to serve at the table – top each slice with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy the reaction this dessert gets!