As much as I love pie, I kind of despise making it. Hopefully my grandmother doesn’t read this or she may fall over. She makes the best pies and I make just OK pies. I believe that galettes were invented for people like me. The less perfect galettes are, the cooler they look. No trimming, no tucking, no crimping, no venting, and no soggy bottom.
What I love most about a galette is how versatile they are. You can make a version of this year-round with the same amount of peak-season fruit. Love strawberries? Use that! Love blueberries and peaches? Use that! The possibilities are endless, and I think that is super cool.
Another reason to love this simplistic dessert is that you can make extra crust and freeze the rest for later. The crust freezes beautifully and is perfect for when you need to make a gourmet dessert in a pinch. I like to serve this dessert warm with high-quality vanilla ice cream and it just melts ever so perfectly on top.
Ingredients:
For the flakey pie dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
24 Tbs. (3 sticks) plus 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
3 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sliced rhubarb
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. flour
Directions:
Mix the dough
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse briefly to mix. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse just until the mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas. Drizzle the ice water over the flour mixture and pulse just until the dough starts to come together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, divide into 3 equal pieces and press each into a flat disk. Set 1 disk aside and wrap the remaining 2 disks in plastic wrap for future use (see note above).
Roll out the dough
Preheat an oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 13-inch round. Fold the round in half, transfer to the prepared sheet and unfold the round.
Fill and bake the galette
In a bowl, lightly stir together the berries, rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar and flour. Spoon the filling onto the dough, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered around the edge. Fold the edge up and over the filling, forming loose pleats. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Transfer the galette to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes one 9-inch galette; makes 3 pastry dough disks total.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Baking, by Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2006).
