Galette, tart, crostatta. Call it what you will, this dessert is awesome.
Does anyone know the difference? I think crostatta has some lattice going on, but in all honesty, who has time for that. The most important part of this dessert is the fact that you can call it "rustic." You see, a long time ago, in the ancient cooking world, chefs learned that you can mask your faults by using this simple word. Rustic. Drop your pie on the floor? Oh you must be mistaken, that pie is rustic; it's supposed to be like that. Those holes in the dough...that ads so much to its charm. There is almost no kitchen mistake that can't be fixed with a good adjective.
Allow my current evening endeavors to be of example. My Dad came home with these amazing strawberries. Like freshly picked amazing. Being that it is the second full day of Summer, I wanted to honor them and make this tart/crostatta/galette. I also happened to be lacking in the egg department; a key ingredient in any dessert making. Alas, this recipe called for just a simple pie crust. A galette in itself is already semi-rustic. Instead of crafting a perfect pie crust, you just sort of throw a slab of dough on a wooden board and start lumping it into shape. Not much effort needed at all. Of course, even I can screw that up. In my head I had envisioned a perfectly crafted, symmetrical layering of pie crust to form an impressive design. The sad things is, that I actually managed to accomplish this task. I was so proud. Soon, I discovered that I had in fact, created this masterpiece, on my wooden cutting board, not on the baking sheet. A daunting task of maneuvering the pie, filled with strawberries, into the baking sheet stood before me. Let's use a giant spatula, I thought. I carefully stuck the spatula underneath the pie, lifted, and watched the entire thing fold into itself, spilling the inside strawberry juice all over the floor.
Well now it's rustic. And guess what? It still looks pretty darn good.
Allow my current evening endeavors to be of example. My Dad came home with these amazing strawberries. Like freshly picked amazing. Being that it is the second full day of Summer, I wanted to honor them and make this tart/crostatta/galette. I also happened to be lacking in the egg department; a key ingredient in any dessert making. Alas, this recipe called for just a simple pie crust. A galette in itself is already semi-rustic. Instead of crafting a perfect pie crust, you just sort of throw a slab of dough on a wooden board and start lumping it into shape. Not much effort needed at all. Of course, even I can screw that up. In my head I had envisioned a perfectly crafted, symmetrical layering of pie crust to form an impressive design. The sad things is, that I actually managed to accomplish this task. I was so proud. Soon, I discovered that I had in fact, created this masterpiece, on my wooden cutting board, not on the baking sheet. A daunting task of maneuvering the pie, filled with strawberries, into the baking sheet stood before me. Let's use a giant spatula, I thought. I carefully stuck the spatula underneath the pie, lifted, and watched the entire thing fold into itself, spilling the inside strawberry juice all over the floor.
Well now it's rustic. And guess what? It still looks pretty darn good.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter diced into 1/2 in cubes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water
Filling
1 pound diced fresh strawberries
1 cup blackberries (can be frozen)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
In a food processor, combine sugar, flour, salt, and butter. Pulse a few times until the mixture is shaggy and the butter is combined. Add in the ice water while pulsing until the dough starts to come together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 1 hour or, if you are in a rush, the freezer for a half hour.
Combine strawberries and blackberries in a small bowl and add in sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a well floured surface. Dough should be about 12x14". Transfer the dough to parchment lined baking sheet. Place the berry mixture in the center of the dough, leaving about 1 inch all around the perimeter. Fold the dough over the berries and make pleats with the excess. Brush the beaten egg mixture over the crust and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
1/2 cup (1 stick) of cold butter diced into 1/2 in cubes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water
Filling
1 pound diced fresh strawberries
1 cup blackberries (can be frozen)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
In a food processor, combine sugar, flour, salt, and butter. Pulse a few times until the mixture is shaggy and the butter is combined. Add in the ice water while pulsing until the dough starts to come together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 1 hour or, if you are in a rush, the freezer for a half hour.
Combine strawberries and blackberries in a small bowl and add in sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a well floured surface. Dough should be about 12x14". Transfer the dough to parchment lined baking sheet. Place the berry mixture in the center of the dough, leaving about 1 inch all around the perimeter. Fold the dough over the berries and make pleats with the excess. Brush the beaten egg mixture over the crust and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
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