It’s strawberry season–the sweet tangy flavors of these berries always get me ready for long, lazy summer days. On Sunday I made a rustic strawberry galette with fresh berries from the farmers market. It oozed, splattered, splashed, and dripped all over our plates, chins, and shirts until we had eaten it all. It was accompanied by a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream (made with a hint of vanilla) and it was pretty amazing.

Today is also my birthday. I usually make my own cake each year for no other reason than, I like to bake. There are not too too many times throughout the year that one can go all out and make huge cakes–I get torn between just doing it and then having a lot of waste–my guilt with the waste usually rings in first, so I back off and wait for those special occasions. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t mind someone else baking a cake for me because that would be amazing as well! But there are a few specific, special people in mind that would blow all our minds with a fabulous cake: Kiija + Brent, Drew, & Ellen. I’m just sayin’ .

Now I’m off to do whatever it is we do on our birthdays: what we want to do! For me, that’s taking a jog, reading my huge stack of health books (thanks, Mom!) that I specifically asked for and enjoying immensely (I can’t seem to get enough of the nutrition/health reading…), maybe bake a cake, teach a yoga class, and generally just have a good day. I hope you have a fantastic day today too! Cheers!

Strawberry Galette

For the dough: 2 cups non-bleached all purpose flour 12 tablespoons cold butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 400 F. In your food processor or in your mixer with the paddle attachment (I’ve also just used my hands for this), mix all the ingredients together until the butter is pea-sized in shape. Put in the fridge for up to 2 hours if the butter seems too soft. It’s a good idea to keep it in the fridge anyway while you prepare the strawberries.

Strawberry filling: Cut up about a pound and a half of fresh strawberries. Add maybe a tablespoon of brown sugar–if the strawberries are on the tart side, add a little more, but if they are super sweet and wonderful, a tablespoon or less is fine. Add a capful of vanilla extract. Toss everything in a bowl until well coated. Set aside

Roll out the dough in a irregular circle-like shape until it’s approximately 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to your baking sheet or stone. Add the berries to the center then gently start folding the sides up to keep everything in the middle. If there are large cracks, you might want to dip your finger in a little water to seal them. Inevitably, some juices will escape, but you want to try to keep as much of those juices inside–they make it taste the way it does! Aka: amazing. You can dip a pastry brush in either milk or heavy cream and brush the top dough parts to give it a golden crust when it comes out. Sprinkle it with some turbino sugar too if desired, then, absolutely enjoy.