strawberry galette

 

On the plane home from Portland my friend and I stared hungrily at a recipe and photos of this strawberry galette in the pages of the May Martha Stewart Living magazine. On the side, it has a basil-infused whipping cream and fried and sugared basil leaves.

I had to make it.

But I must admit I didn't fry and sugar any basil leaves. Because I'm lazy. It's time you knew that about me. I kind of wish I had though. I bet those would have made for some very pretty photos.

The basil whipped cream was lovely. Not overwhelmingly basil-ish. It just has a nice herbal twist at the end when you taste a bit of it.

And my galette didn't turn out looking anywhere near as pretty as Martha's minion's galette but I could have told you that would be the case before I even started. Oh and I used some of my own dough because I had a single crust of it stored in my freezer.

Strawberry Galette

Serves 6 - 8

FOR THE BASIL CREAM

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup mascarpone cheese

FOR THE FRIED BASIL

2 cups vegetable oil

18 to 24 large fresh basil leaves

Sugar, for sprinkling

FOR THE DOUGH

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 1/8 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

8 ounces (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE GALETTE

1 pound strawberries, hulled

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make the basil cream: Combine cream, basil, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours for a more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

Make the fried basil: Heat oil in a deep skillet to 325 degrees. Fry basil, a few leaves at a time, for 12 seconds. (The leaves will cause the hot oil to spatter; step away from the pan while they cook.) Drain leaves on paper towels, and let cool completely. Sprinkle both sides of the leaves with sugar. (Basil can be stored at room temperature overnight.)

Make the dough: Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add ice water, and pulse until just combined (dough will still be crumbly). Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the galette: Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Reserve end pieces for another use. Toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter. Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with basil cream and fried basil.

Comments

[Amanda]

I think you'd give Martha a run for her money with these photos. I think gallettes are my favorite in comparison to tarts because they aren't as fussy and fickle. More rustic and homely, I feel. Yours turned out gorgeous. I can't wait for strawberry season this summer!

[Mari]

Beau-ti-ful!! Strawberries are just so darn pretty and the galette is a beautiful canvas for them.

[Janna from Honeyed Hashette]

This looks wonderful!
I love all berries, especially wrapped in fabulous dough.