Rustic Cranberry-Pear Galette

Although now slightly tweaked, this recipe comes from the Jan 2003 cookbooklet Favorite Brand Name Recipes -- Holiday Desserts. Why it's called a 'galette' is beyond me since in France, I understand that refers to a type of cake, while in French Canada, I think it's more like a large cookie. What this recipe makes, for me, is more like an open, rustic pie! Whatever you call it, it is delicious!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 pie

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1  tablespoon cornstarch, plus
• 1  teaspoon cornstarch
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4  cups bartlett pears, peeled & cored, thinly sliced
• 1⁄3 cup dried cranberries
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
• 1  egg white
• 1  tablespoon water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat pizza pan or baking sheet with nontstick cooking spray, then set aside.
2. Set aside 1 teaspoon sugar, then, in a medium bowl, combine remaining sugar, cornstarch & cinnamon, blending well.
3. Add pears, cranberries & vanilla extract & toss to coat.
4. Remove crust from pouch, then unfold it, remove plastic sheets & place it on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Spoon pear mixture in center of crust to within 2 inches of the edge.
6. Fold edge of crust 2 inches over pear mixture & crimp slightly.
7. In a small bowl, combine egg white & water & whisk until well blended.
8. Brush egg wash onto outer edges of pie crust & sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.
9. Bake 25 minutes or until pears are tender & crust is golden brown. If edges brown too quickly, covere with foil after 15 minutes of baking.
10. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.