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.
It’s nice to take some time after a chapter in life has been finished, think for a bit, maybe reflect on what was learned and tuck away those experiences in our ever growing personal guidebook to life. But sometimes life does not allot that good, solid chunk of time for, well, anything! But alas, life must go on and I must go with it, finding time where I may and fitting in bits of reflection and thought where I can. Today was one of those days. After spending the morning at work, I decided I was going to go to my local farmer’s stand, see what was fresh, and make a gallette. I needed time to think, to breath, the kitchen as my refuge. I spotted some beautiful, aromatic peaches and round, plump blueberries looking like they were going to burst at any second. I must have those! I thought speculatively. On a whim, I also bought some fresh cream to make butter. I’ve never done it, why not try it today?
As the delicate aroma of peaches wafted up towards me, I started to think about all the possibilities swirling around me like bumble bees. Where do I go from here? Chop, chop, chop. I decided the peaches needed a little spice so I grabbed a chunk of ginger from my fridge and grated some into the bowl. I was immediately satisfied with my choice to do so, the spicy, fragrant, sweet smell permeated my senses like a sincere thank you.
Listen to your gut, was all I heard. It’s a common phrase that I hear myself say to myself quite a lot. But today, it hit me like a brick. Listen to my gut. Huh. Good idea, I thought, as I covered the top with the blueberries. Good idea. And then the ideas started bubbling up from my subconscious, things I had fleetingly thought about before but hadn’t given myself, or those thoughts, time to come to a boil. It’s amazing what giving yourself a little space will do, or even having some fun while you’re at it!
I am thinking about starting some small, in-home cooking lessons with a twist and short video podcasts linking food, life, memory, and ourselves to a dish or meal. I’ve got to get these ideas off the burner and into a dish to serve! Until next time!
Bon Appetit!
Peach, Blueberry, and Ginger Gallette
The dough:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons butter (I used a butter/earth balance mixture about 80:20)
1/4-1/2 ice cold water
In a bowl, place dry ingredients, then sliced cold butter. Mix with your hands until well incorporated. Add a little of the cold water at a time until the dough makes a round ball and there is none left on the sides of the bowl. Cover and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes.
The fruit:
Meanwhile, slice the peaches. I kept the skins on but you can opt to peel them off too. In a large bowl, toss with about 3-4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Transfer to a pizza stone or baking pan. Arrange the fruit slices starting with the outside circle, working your way in until the center of the gallette is covered. Leave about 2-3 inches of dough around the sides so you can fold them up around the fruit. Sprinkle blueberries at random across the top. Pinch the creases so all the juices stay inside the gallette during baking. Bake at 375 for about an hour.
Butter
Get a high quality, organic cream like heavy whipping cream. There is one of two ways you can do this:
1) Shake the hell out of it! Yes, that’s right. Put it in a mason jar with ample room and have fun. Shake it for about 20-30 mins, make it a game with your kids, pass it to your friends, make your spouse give it a shake. It’s actually really fun and funny to watch! You’ll notice the butter start to form, but keep shaking. It will all clump together then you will be left with some amazing buttermilk (this is nothing like the buttermilk we get at the grocery stores! It’s incredible). Save the buttermilk for pancakes in the morning by pouring it off. Shake it some more and when you are satisfied with the butter’s chunkiness, keeping it in the jar, run some cold water over it until the water runs mostly clear, clearing out the excess/left over buttermilk. This will preserve it for a few days longer. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and/or waxed paper. It’s delish!
2) Use your stand mixer by whipping the cream until it becomes butter. Pour off the buttermilk and save it, then put the butter into a jar and run cold water over it to take away the excess buttermilk, until the water runs clean. Voilà! Butter!
