Carl and Gemma are road-tripping to Saskatoon this weekend and it’s weiiiird having my little girl so far away! But the boys and I are making the best of it by remembering how great it is not to be driving for 16 hours, and by enjoying super easy meals, movies for hot afternoons, and naps all ’round :)
Before strawberry season is over (it always goes much too quickly for my liking) I need to share this amazing galette recipe post from my mom! Galettes are SO much easier and more forgiving than their fussy pie cousin, with all the flavour and wow factor you could ever want. This dessert is absolutely amazing, and you need to get your hands on some strawberries to make it. You all know how I feel about streusel toppings!
While I am thankful that imported strawberries have improved in flavour and availability over the years, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, that compares with a fresh, local strawberry still warm from the sun that was shining on it in the field. For a much too brief time we can remember that strawberries are actually supposed to be red all the way through and they aren’t supposed to crunch when you bite into them.
Best eaten straight, or with a bowl of Greek yogurt for dipping, it is important to enjoy them in large quantities while you can because their season is a lot like me…short and sweet ;). And after the fresh ones, it is going to be a while before we are going to appreciate those imported ones again.
While nothing beats a bowl of fresh strawberries on the table, there are times when a more formal dessert is required, and it had better be a good one worth using those precious berries in. While I usually go for the classics like strawberry shortcake or cream puffs with whipped cream and strawberries, this year I have found a new recipe that is indeed worthy of fresh strawberries. In fact, I can hardly wait to get a whole bounty of berries, from blackberries to raspberries to blueberries, and bumble them all together to make this recipe again. I may even give it a try when the peaches and plums come into season. It is that good, and that easy! You will definitely want to make it repeatedly too!
A galette, also known in some cookbooks as a crostata, is a freeform pie where the filling in put on the flat crust and the sides are folded up to contain it, making a rustic and okay-to-be-imperfect pie. This recipe starts with a crust that, when chilled for an hour, rolls out crazy easily right on the parchment paper you are going to be baking it on. The crust is coated with ground almonds on the bottom so it stays nice and firm, not getting soggy even after a few days in the fridge. Then it is filled with a delicious strawberry mixture and all the strawberry deliciousness is topped with almond streusel. Perfection!
My suggestion is to have your strawberries washed and ready, and your filling ingredients measured, but don’t assemble the fruit mixture until your crust is ready for it. I put mine together while the dough was chilling, resulting in a very juicy mixture to put on the crust. The end result was excellent but it was challenging to get the sides folded up in time to contain the juice, making the process more difficult and messy than it had to be.
The hardest part of this dessert is finding a plate big enough to put it on because it is a big dessert! My finished product was a generous 11” in diameter, plenty big for at least a dozen people, so invite some friends and family for a barbecue and impress them with this galette for a sweet grand finale. No extra topping is needed, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream would make it even more special.
- PASTRY:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup cold butter, cubed
- ¾ cup ice water (approx.)
- STREUSEL TOPPING:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup cold butter, cubed
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- FILLING:
- 2 lbs (900g) strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
- ⅔ cup strawberry jam
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup ground almonds
- 1 egg yolk
- PASTRY DOUGH: In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until in large crumbs. Drizzle with ice water and toss with a fork until dough comes together, adding up to 2 Tbsp more ice water if needed. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- ALMOND STREUSEL TOPPING: In small bowl, mix flour with sugar. Using fingers, rub in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds and set aside.
- FILLING: Toss together strawberries, jam, sugar and cornstarch. I recommend doing this step after pastry is rolled out and ready to avoid excess juice forming. Get everything measured and ready to combine while the dough is chilling.
- When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On large piece of parchment paper, about 17” long, roll out dough to a 15-16” circle. Transfer dough (still on parchment paper) to large baking sheet. (I use a large rimless ‘air bake’ baking sheet and just slide the paper and dough onto it.) Sprinkle dough with ground almonds, leaving a 3” border all around without almonds.
- Mix filling ingredients and dump evenly onto almonds, maintaining the bare border.
- Fold bare sides of pastry over fruit mixture, making an 11-12” round. Trim off any excess parchment paper that hangs over edge of baking sheet. Sprinkle streusel evenly over strawberries.
- Mix egg yolk with 2 tsp water and brush over pastry. Bake at 375 degrees until golden, 50-60 minutes. Let cool on pan on rack. When completely cool, galette can be slid off of parchment paper onto a large serving plate. This can be made ahead, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Source: Canadian Living
Anna (and Kim) … you really should grow strawberries … I have ever-bearing plants and enjoy fresh strawberries from June (this year was May) until September or October. Granted, they don’t produce abundance, but probably a dozen berries every day or two.
Anna, let me know if you want some plants – I can divide them in the fall. Mine were originally Grandma L’s; I’m sure she’d be happy for you to have some too.
Lyn
We do have strawberries in our garden but they never produce nearly enough! This is only the second year, and we had more than last year, so I’m hoping that trend continues? We did also see a squirrel nicely sitting there plucking and eating them one evening, so maybe that’s the problem :P
I just love rustic desserts and put some crumb topping on it and it’s about perfect! A dollop of ice cream would make this heavenly! Pinning this one!
I absolutely love the berries of the summer and when they are at their freshest! Makes me wish I had a garden.
This recipe looks like the perfect treat!
Enjoy your week with your boys!
It looks lovely, and I agree – a recipe better be good if I’m going to use my own fresh strawberries for it! I make an apple galette that is amazing, which is why I don’t make it very often as I’d happily eat the whole thing myself!
Ahhh, the compromise! I was wondering what you guys had decided! We’ll pray for safe travels for Carl and Gemma and that you guys will be together soon!