Strawberry Galette

Before the COVID lockdown, I used to travel to Annecy, France a few times a year for work and the hotel that I would stay at had the most amazing breakfast. GALETTE with CHEESE?! Dang, the French know how to eat, don’t they?? I would have strawberry or apricot galette with brie cheese and a cappuccino and I was the happiest lady! We really should adopt this breakfast more often here in the States. 

A galette is a rustic, ‘free-form’ pie that has grown in popularity recently but I sense that it has been a staple in France for decades (if not longer). I include the recipe for making your own crust but I won’t tell anyone if you buy a ready-to-go refrigerated pie crust…

The secret to finishing off the galette is to pull it out of the oven right before it’s done baking, and glaze the crust AND strawberry filling with apricot jam. It gives the galette a beautiful glossy finish and it makes the strawberries look juicy and bright. 

INGREDIENTS

Crust (makes 2 crusts but you only need 1 for this recipe, unless you make 2 of course!)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 lb COLD unsalted butter (2 sticks) diced into 1/4" pieces (I put the butter into the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting into the flour)

7 Tbsp ice water 

Filling:

1 QT fresh strawberries

1/2 lemon

1/4 cup sugar

+ 3 Tablespoons Apricot Jam for glazing

INSTRUCTIONS

Crust:

As I have mentioned before, I hate using a food processor so I use a pastry cutter but this process can be done in a food processor if you prefer.

Sift flour, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the super-cold diced butter into the bowl and begin to cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs (pea sized) start to form.

Slowly add 7 Tbsp ice water a little at a time while continuing to cut the dough mixture. Once moist clumps start to form, squeeze some dough together and if it sticks together you are good to go! If not, add a tiny bit more water (less than a Tbsp). Be careful not to add too much water because it makes the dough extra sticky.

Transfer dough to a flat work surface and roll into 2 even dough balls. Do not knead the dough! wrap the balls in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour before using (up to 3 days!). 

Galette:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice 1 QT fresh strawberries and place them in a mixing bowl.

Add the juice from 1/2 a lemon and the sugar to the strawberries and mix carefully.

Roll out your crust into roughly a 15” circle on parchment paper.

Spoon your galette mixture into the inner 9” circle of the dough so you have about a 3” perimeter of crust.

Now carefully start folding the crust over the outer perimeter of the strawberries - this is a free-form, rustic pie so it does not have to be perfect!

Transfer the parchment paper carefully to a baking sheet.

Bake the Galette for about 12-15 minutes and remove from the oven (should be a few minutes before it’s done) for the apricot jam glazing.

With a cooking brush, carefully brush the crust and strawberry filling with about 2-3 Tbps apricot jam. The heat will make the jam easier to work with and you just want a thin glazing over the top.

Put the galette back into the over for another 3-5 minutes or until done.

Voilà! While the galette is cooling, slice yourself some brie and prepare yourself for something simple but so so special.