Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes
Makes 2 (10-inch) tarts.
You can use any combo of strawberry and rhubarb, but know that if you use more rhubarb than strawberry, you may want to increase the sugar by a few tablespoons. Likewise, if you go heavier on strawberries - you can lower the sugar.
I’ve made this as two small galettes and one giant one, and I recommend two smaller ones - the ratio of crust to filling is just right. Though, if you want to make it into one large one, it works just fine. This dough freezer well, so if you want to make just one small galette at a time, halve the filling, and save the extra dough for another day.
For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
For assembling galettes:
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup ground almonds
4 cups chopped rhubarb (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
2 cups chopped strawberries (hulled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices)
1 cup sugar (plus 2 tablespoons more, to sprinkle over dough)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream (optional).
1. Make the pastry dough: whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, work half of the butter into the flour until it turns into the texture of coarse oatmeal. Quickly work the rest of the butter into the dough until the biggest pieces are the size of lima beans. Drizzle up to 1/3 cup ice water into the dough in several additions, tossing and mixing between each. (Depending on the humidity of your kitchen, you may not need the entire 1/3 cup.) Don’t try to dampen all of the dough evenly. It should look rather ropy and rough, and stop adding water when there are still a few bits of dry flour remaining in the bottom of the bowl. Gather the dough into 2 equal balls and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap, pressing down to flatten into a thick disk. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight. (The dough may be frozen for a few weeks.)
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a circle, about 1/8-inch thick. (I like to place the dough rounds between two long pieces of plastic wrap and roll it out between them. That way there is no breaking.) The rounds will be about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before assembling.
3. Assemble the galettes: preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the rolled doughs on a buttered or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4. When the oven has reach 400 degrees and the dough is ready, prepare the filling: in a small bowl, combine the flour and ground almonds. Sprinkle it evenly over the two rounds of dough but leaving a 2-inch border on each. In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Immediately divide the mixture among the galettes. Working quickly, fold the exposed (almond/sugar-less) border onto itself, crimping to make a pastry rim around the fruit. Brush the rim with melted butter and drizzle with a little sugar. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the crust has caramelized. Let the tarts cool slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if you choose.
