My Culinary Trial Room

The berry season has come to an end and it makes me sad. I have not enjoyed the berries to the fullest as I came here mid-season. However I had my fair share of cherries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries and not to forget the peaches, plums and nectarines. I had them in juices, milkshakes, smoothies, yogurts and then there were days when I simply popped them as a snack. Only when I saw them fading slowly from the market aisles, did I bother to browse for recipes.

The other day I bought some strawberries and when I was cleaning them I found that they were not that good. Some had gone bad and some were nearing that stage. I wanted to use them all in one go and was thinking of dishes when this galette struck the bell. Galette is nothing but a free form pie. You don't need a pie tin and so it is friendly. Making a galette has always been in my mind and the half-wilting strawberries was the perfect excuse.

Right from the time I started making the galette to the minute I put it into the oven, the kid was going haywire. He was restless every minute and was like a timer going on every minute. Whenever I left the oven unattended, he would be there by my side, pulling my hands to check the status. He wouldn't even let me take pictures, see there his baby hands sneaking to grab a piece. Only after he got a mouthful of this flaky tarty galette, was he under control.

Prep Time: 20 mins; Cooking Time: 30 mins; Serves - 3; Makes - one 6-inch Galette

~*What U Need*~
For the crust
Unbleached all purpose flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Cold unsalted butter - 3-4 tbsp
Yogurt - 2 tbsp, plain or flavored
Ice cold water - 2 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Egg - 2 tbsp, crack open an egg, beat and use 2 tbsp

For the Filling:
Fresh strawberries - 250 gms
Almonds - 1/4 cup
Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp

Egg wash - as desired

How I Made it:
In a bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, water and lemon juice.

Put the almonds in a ziploc bag and bang with your rolling pin. Take the flour and salt in a largish mixing bowl and combine well. Dice the butter into smaller cubes and put this into the flour.

Mix with a wooden spoon or with your hands till it resembles coarse crumbs. You could do this is in the food processor too. Add the egg mixture into the flour and gather to form a dough. Put this in a ziploc bag and freeze for 20 mins.

Meanwhile clean, hull your strawberries and pat dry. Slice them and set aside. Combine the strawberries with the almonds, cornstarch and sugar. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the chilled dough on the parchment paper into a 6-inch circle, trimming edges until smooth. Place the strawberry mixture in the middle of the dough leaving some space to fold the dough. Fold over the edges of dough, pleating to make it fit. Brush the sides with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes until puffy and golden brown.

Serve warm out of the oven with some whipped cream!!!

** My Notes:
** I used roasted and salted almonds, u could use slivered almonds too
** I used berry yogurt but you could use plain yogurt too.
** The recipe can be easily double for a 13-inch galette.
** It tastes best on the same day, the bestest when warm out of the oven with some vanilla ice-cream
** Take care to leave enough space when piling on the strawberries. I made the border thin and it started opening up when it was baking. So leave atleast 2-inch gap.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,