Keeping the theme of simple yet tasty, this week’s treat is a rustic French classic – A Galette.

Essentially a free form tart/pie, its beauty lies in its imperfections and unfussy nature. The only thing it is serious about is being tasty! 

A galette can be sweet or savory often seen with seasonal fruits such as peaches, plums or cherries, the fruit caramelizes in the heat of the oven creating a real sticky fruity treat, it really does have to be eaten to be believed, and better yet its super easy to make! 

In this recipe you will learn the essential short crust pastry or pie dough if you’re from across the pond. A baking staple and useful in so many recipes! This new method ensures super flaky (short) pastry that’s a delight to work with and even nicer to scoff! 

Ingredients

For the dough -

200 g plain flour

150 g unsalted butter, cubed

1 tbs caster sugar

3/4 tsp salt

Ice cold water (see recipe for details)

1 egg (for egg wash)

For the filling -

1 pack or 400/500 g fresh rhubarb 

100 g raspberries (fresh or frozen and defrosted)

100 g sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

1-2 tbs ground almonds / breadcrumbs / corn flour (see recipe for details) 

Method 

1 – 

Start by measuring your flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl and add 100 g of your cubed butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it achieves a wet sand / breadcrumb texture. Once achieved, add the remaining 50 g of cubed butter, toss to coat in flour, and then squeeze each cube once between your thumb and forefinger to create large flat chunks of butter. We want it to look chunky. 

2 – 

Once your butter has been incorporated, add your iced water 1 tbs at a time to your flour mixture, mixing with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add just enough water so that the dough starts to come together but still looks a bit sandy. You can remove the large chunks of formed dough and then add a tiny amount of water to the remining dry crumbs to combine. It should form a cohesive dough that only just holds itself together. 

3 – 

Turn the dough out onto the surface and, working quickly and carefully as not to warm the mix too much, bring together into a rough disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour up to 24 hours.  24 hours would be perfect. This dough can stay in the fridge for 3-4 days and be frozen for up to 3 months. 

4 – 

While the dough is chilling, chop your rhubarb into bite sized chunks and add to a large bowl. Cover the rhubarb with your sugar, add the zest, and stir to evenly coat the rhubarb. Cover and leave to macerate for at least 1 hour to draw out any liquid. This is also a good time to get your raspberries out from the freezer to defrost if using frozen. 

5 – 

When ready to bake, remove your dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, beat the dough firmly to flatten out and also soften the butter without warming it. Roll / press out into a long rectangle then fold in thirds like a letter. Do not worry if the dough is crumbly as this rolling and folding technique will improve the texture. Once folded, roll out and fold two more times for a total of three folds, shape into a round disc and then cover tightly and chill in the fridge for 10 mins to firm up. Whilst the dough rests, drain and reserve any liquid that has come out of the fruit and set to one side. 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. 

6 – 

Once the dough is firm again, remove from the fridge and roll out into a rough circle approx. 30 cm or about 1/2 cm thick. You can roll it out on top of parchment paper for easy transfer. Do not worry about neat edges as rustic is what we are aiming for. Once you have your circle, place on a sheet of parchment paper and then onto a baking tray. Sprinkle a thin layer of ground almonds or breadcrumbs (these help soak up any juices from the fruit when baking). If you do not have these, you can toss the filling in 1-2 tbs of corn flour as this also thickens and stops leaks when baking.

7 – 

Pile your fruit in the centre of your dough circle leaving a 5cm/2” boarder. Then, using the parchment, fold up the edges over the fruit to create a rim. It should look rustic. Check for any cracks in the dough and squeeze to close. Brush the rim of dough with egg wash (1 beaten egg). You can just use the yolk if you want a rich glossy crust. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. 

8 – 

Bake in the middle of your preheated oven for 35-40 mins or until golden brown and the fruit has cooked down and softened. You can cover the edges with foil if it is browning too fast.  

Whilst the galette is baking, heat your reserved rhubarb juice until a thick syrup forms. Set aside to cool slightly.

Remove and immediately brush the fruit liberally with your syrup glaze. Allow to cool for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. This is best served warm with custard, cream or ice cream. Store your galette for 3-4 days in an air-tight container.