After creating lovely Strawberry Pavlovas last week, I felt that I needed to showcase another use for all of the gorgeous strawberries that are showing up at the grocery. I have weeded and watered my own strawberry patch, but alas, they are not yet ready. It seems that here on Whidbey Island next to the salt water, and with the ocean breezes, everything seems to ripen at a bit slower pace. That is ok…. a slower pace is what living on an island is all about! I will savor every last one of my garden berries once they are ready.

One thing that is ready is my rhubarb. It is one of the first things to pop out and beg to be appreciated. One of my standard recipes for my rhubarb is my Rhubarb Picnic Cake. Another is my Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Galette. It has all the attributes of a pie, but I find it easier and quicker to make. It also makes a great centerpiece since it showcases the Strawberries and Rhubarb right up front and not hidden beneath a top crust. Serve this Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Galette with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipping cream for the perfect dessert.

Quick word of “crust caution”…..

This is generally an easy dessert to create. The only caution is when creating the crust, use the proportions of “fat to flour” noted in the recipe. I have been known to try to force in a bit more butter than a recipe calls for to add to the flakiness of the crust. It does indeed make your crust more flakey, but it also makes it less “sturdy”. For this Strawberry Rhubarb Galette, you will need a little bit more of a structured crust…. otherwise you will end up with the juices “breaking through” your crust and quite the mess. If you have baked your Galette on parchment paper, even if you have a leaky crust you will be able to enjoy the finished product. Simply cut around your Galette, slide a pizza paddle or tray under it, and gently transfer it to another serving tray.

Ingredients

Pastry

1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
6 Tbsp Butter, VERY cold
2 Tbsp Lard (or butter if you don't have lard)
1-2 Tbsp Very cold Water

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

3/4 LB Strawberries, sliced thickly
3/4 LB Fresh Rhubarb, cut diagonally in 1/2" pieces
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp AP Flour
2 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla

Assembling Ingredients

2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar

Instructions

Pastry

Add the Flour, Salt, and Sugar into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
Add the Butter, cut into small pieces. Then add the Lard.
Using a fork or pastry blender, combine the fat into the flour until it is well combined and there are no bits of butter bigger than a pea.
Add Water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together (and stays together) in a ball.
Transfer Dough Ball to a piece of parchment. Press out into a 6" round. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer to chill for 15 minutes, or in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Filling

While dough is chilling, cut the Rhubarb on a diagonal into 1/2" chunks. Slice the strawberries into thick slices. Place cut berries and rhubarb into a medium bowl.
Add the Sugar, Flour, Lemon Juice, and Vanilla.
Stir to combine and coat all of the berries and rhubarb.

Assembling

Preheat oven to 400℉
Remove the dough from the freezer/refrigerator. Place on parchment paper. Sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent sticking while rolling dough out into a 13"-14" round.
Transfer Parchment + Pastry onto a large baking sheet.
Spoon the Berry/Rhubarb mixture into the middle of the pastry round. Spread out to about 1.5" from the edge – leaving enough pastry to fold back towards the center.
Carefully fold the edge over the filling, pleating it at about 2 inch intervals.
Dot the filling with the cut up 3 Tablespoons of butter.
Using a Pastry Brush, brush the cream over the pastry crust.
Sprinkle the Turbinado Sugar over the brushed cream.
Bake the Galette for 45minutes – 1 Hour, or until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.
Let cool a bit before slicing. Enjoy!

Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Quick word of “crust caution”…..