If making any kind of pies or tarts from scratch seems like too much trouble for a simple supper, then it's high time you were introduced to the galette.

The word may bring to mind a fancy French gadget that pumps out all-purpose, perfect pie crust, but it's far from it. In fact, galette seems to be an all-purpose French word for an imperfect pie.

You may call them free-form pies or ugly tarts, but the French call them galettes.

It's a name given to a variety of tarts, filled yeast cakes and potato pancakes, as well as thick crepes, both savory and sweet, made from a number of different doughs. You'll be hard put to find more than two references with the same definition of galette. The main similarity is that they are flat, round and on the rustic side.

The version recommended for a simple, home-cooked meal hovers somewhere between a pizza and a tart. The crust is richer and more tender than a pizza's, and the filling is more substantial. Unlike a tart, a galette is free-formed and its contents do not include a custard.

Galettes won't give you pastry anxiety. They won't intimidate you with complicated instructions for shaping, crimping or garnishing. Lopsided shapes and ragged edges are part of their rustic allure. A great advantage of the galette is that the dough is rolled out directly on a flat cookie sheet (without rims), or the underside of a rimmed sheet pan, eliminating the step of lifting and transferring the dough to the pan.

Both the dough and the filling can be made ahead of time. Then the galettes are assembled and baked when needed. In fact, it is advisable to make both ahead, so that the dough can rest and the filling may be simmered or sautéed long enough for the flavors to meld. You can even make the filling and refrigerated it for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months.

The mixture of ingredients in a savory filling should balance. While it is possible to tinker and taste from a simmering saucepan, once it goes into the pie, the seasoning window closes with the oven door.

Choice of dough is a matter of personal taste. Some like the buttery, rich flavor and the short texture of a tart dough. Others prefer the yeast-based, pizza-type dough, which is more tender, less likely to break and bakes to a golden color. Both are relatively easy to make. The pizza dough can be made an hour ahead. The tart dough can be made in a food processor an hour ahead or a month in advance and frozen until needed.

To make a galette, first make the dough, then make the filling and allow it to cool to room temperature. Lightly flour the sheet pan you intend to use for baking and place the dough in the center. Roll it into about a 14-inch round. Leave the edges rough.

Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Slide your hand under the border in one spot and fold it in to cover the out portion of the filling. Repeat this motion all the way around the galette. As you make your way around, shape the folds into sharply defined pleats. This is easier to accomplish with the yeast dough.

For individual galettes, divide the dough into four pieces and place each on a lightly floured surface, not the intended baking pan. Form each into about an 8-inch disc. Fill as you would a large galette, leaving a 2-inch border, then fold in the dough and pleat all the way around. Or roll the dough into a square and fold in the edges like an envelope.

Before baking, brush the galette dough with egg wash to give it sheen and color.

You will find the process of creating these simple pies almost as comforting as eating them. The recipes are simple to make, but are anything but humble in flavor.

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