Fig & Cherry Galette

To prepare pastry dough: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it starts bubbling, cook, stirring and watching carefully so it doesn't burn, until golden brown, 2 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a metal bowl and refrigerate until solid again, 25 to 30 minutes.

Combine whole-wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor. Pulse once or twice to mix. Cut the butter and cream cheese into pieces; add and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add oil and pulse until it looks like wet sand. Add cold milk and pulse until small clumps form.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and press into a ball, then press the ball into a disk about 8 inches wide. Wrap in the parchment and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before rolling out.

4. To prepare fruit layer: Trim stem ends off figs and cut lengthwise in halves or quarters, depending on size. Cut prunes in half.

Combine the figs, prunes and dried cherries with orange zest, port, water and cloves in a medium nonreactive saucepan (see Tips). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and very gently simmer until the fruit is soft and jammy and the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup, about 30 minutes. If the liquid is still thin when the fruit is ready, uncover and simmer for a few more minutes to thicken.

To prepare almond layer: Combine almonds, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar and aniseed in a food processor and process into a fine meal.

To roll out pastry: Place a large sheet of parchment on a work surface and dust it with flour. Place the pastry disk in the center and lightly dust with flour. Roll out into a 15-inch circle. The pastry may crack a bit as you roll it, so go slowly and just nudge the cracked parts back together, pressing lightly. Dust with more flour as needed and keep the circle as even as you can, but don't worry about rough edges.

Preheat oven to 375F.

To assemble & bake: Spread the almond mixture over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Arrange the cooked fruit on top, making sure the cherries are distributed throughout and that some of the larger figs are in the middle. If there is syrup left in the bowl, you can drizzle up to 2 tablespoons over the fruit.

Use the parchment paper to lift the edges of the pastry and fold loosely over the filling in 2- or 3-inch sections at a time. The pastry may crack as you lift and fold it, but that's fine. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with milk and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Lift the galette on the parchment and transfer it, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet. Trim off any overhanging parchment.

Bake the galette until the edges just start to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Check after 20 minutes, and if the crust is golden brown in places, cover it loosely with foil to prevent further browning.

Let cool at least 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Lift parchment and galette onto a serving platter. Use a spatula to very slightly lift the galette so you can slide the parchment out. Serve the galette warm or at room temperature, garnished with orange zest, if desired.