Everyone has a prefered fruit, but not everyone will admit it. I have no secrets when it comes to food. Strawberries are my favorite summer fruit and this strawberry rhubarb galette is the perfect dessert to highlight beautiful summer berries.
The Truth About Strawberries:
Most have no clue, but a strawberry is not actually a berry at all. Botanists call the strawberry a “false fruit,” or a pseudocarp. A strawberry is actually a multiple fruit which consists of many tiny individual fruits embedded in a fleshy receptacle. The brown or white specks, commonly thought of as seeds, are actually the true fruits, and they are called “achenes“.
The achenes are what makes strawberries high in fiber. Surprising to hear, I know. According to the Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, one-half cup of strawberries supplies more fiber than a slice of whole wheat bread, and more than 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
Strawberries in History:
Cultivated strawberries are really a hybrid of two different parent species. Because they are hybrids, cultivated strawberries are better able to adapt to extreme weather conditions and environments. California and Florida are the largest strawberry producers, despite strawberries being grown in all 50 states.
According to Wikipedia; the first known strawberry garden existed in Brittany, France, during the 18th century. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common source of the fruit. The strawberry was actually mentioned in ancient Roman literature, apparently the entire strawberry plant was commonly used for medicinal purposes, mainly to treat depression.
This strawberry rhubarb galette is one of my favorite easy summer desserts. Sweetness from the summer berries combined with the tartness of rhubarb has become an iconic flavor combination and one I adore. My strawberry rhubarb galette is lightly sweet and also a little tart, which is perfectly balanced by the flaky, buttery pastry that surrounds it.A galette is often confused with a tart, due to their vast similarities, but there is a slight distinction between the two which I must point out.
The difference Between Galettes And Tarts:
A tart consists of a shallow, straight-sided pastry that is filled before or after baking and has no top crust. To make a tart you use a scalloped edge tart pan or ring mold on a baking sheet. Tarts can be round, rectangular, square, or miniature. While older cookbooks define “tart” as the French term for “pie“, today we make a distinction between the two, using pie to refer to a deeper-dish pastry with sloped sides and often, but not always, a top crust.
A galette has a looser definition that is tied to the French word “galet”, meaning a smooth, flat pebble. By-definition any flat, round pastry or cake-like creation can be classified a galette. Today, however, the term galette is used mainly to refer to a more rustic, free-form tart-made with a single crust of pastry. What I love about galettes is they invite a creative interpretation and allow for an individualistic freedom. In other words, anything, sweet or savory, can work.
To me, summer is galette making season. Ripe, flavorful fruits of all kinds are in abundance. Galettes are effortless preparation and result in a beautiful dessert, perfect for an impromptu dinner in the backyard with family or friends. We still have a few more weeks of beautiful summer weather, take advantage of it any way you can.
Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
Ingredients
- For the Dough:
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
- dash of salt
- 1/4-1/3 cup cold water
- For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:
- 3 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar for finishing the tart
Directions
- Step 1 For the Dough: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, such as a Cuisinart, fitted with a metal blade attachment. Pulse on/off to incorporate. Add the butter and continue to pulse till the dough resembles coarse meal. Add the water a little bit at a time and pulse till the dough just come together. Be careful not to add too much water or over mix. If the mixture looks dry add a little more water as needed.
- Step 2 With your hands form the dough into a round flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 3 For the Filling: In a medium size mixing bowl add the rhubarb and strawberries, sprinkle the sugar and corn starch on top, but do not mix until you are already to assemble the galette. Set aside.
- Step 4 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or ideally a silicone baking mat if you have one. Place near your work station.
- Step 5 On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Using a large rubber tip spatula, gently mix the fruit together by folding in the sugar and corn starch. Spoon the fruit mixture into the center of the rolled out dough, then spread it with the spatula leaving 3-inch of space between the fruit and the edge of the dough.
- Step 6 Using your hands, gently fold the edges of the dough up and slightly over the fruit filling until all the fruit has been encased. Using a pastry brush, brush the crust with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place the tart in the oven and bake until the filling is cooked and bubbling, and the crust is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
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