Raspberry Rhubarb Galette

I held the pink stalks in my hands, wondering what to do with them. Should I make another jam? Roast them with honey? Use them to top a cake, maybe one with ricotta, frangipane?
Possibilities stretched endless and I, wary of condemning the fruit to a trite, strawberried fate, dawdled. The rhubarb stalks, the ones I’d waited for all winter, stayed in the fridge, losing luster and gaining soft edges.
Then, while flipping through my new cookbook, I saw the combination of rhubarb and raspberries. I was intrigued- tart and tart, edgy against edgy? A bold pairing, to be sure, but one I couldn’t stop thinking about. I imagined the rhubarb, falling softly apart over satiny raspberries, and a buttery, flaky crust holding it all in. What happened next was natural: a galette.
Galettes are my favorite dessert; like pie, but quicker, more forgiving, with less mess involved. Making one is second nature to me. I cut chunks of butter into a crumbly mass of dough, let it freeze overnight and then rolled out the dough. The rhubarb was combined with fresh orange juice, a fragrant vanilla bean, raspberries and sugar. Then I folded it all in, brushed it with egg and sparkling sugar and sent it off into the oven.
The resulting galette was everything I expected: tart, mouth-puckeringly so, but also flavorful, and silky soft, and a natural pairing for wild-berry ice cream. This galette would be an ideal end to a rustic barbecue (we’ve been firing ours up for the past couple of Sundays) or maybe even to savor with a sweet tea. And have I mentioned ice cream? Ice cream. It’s a must.
Have a great weekend!
Chaya

PS: more rhubarb! Rhubarb streusel bars, Strawberry rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb, Cinnamon & Lavender breakfast puffs

Yield: one 9″-10″ galette

Why I love this recipe: the crust, made with whole wheat flour for heartiness, is flaky and buttery, thanks to frozen butter and a puff-pastry like folding. The filling is tart, sweet and utterly fruity- my favorite type of dessert, and the orange adds a flavor note that is beautiful with the rhubarb. If you like a less tart dessert, substitute another fruit for the raspberries.

For the galette crust: 

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1/2 stick frozen butter
• 1/2 stick cold butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 ounces water

For the raspberry rhubarb filling:

• 1/2 lb. rhubarb (4 long stalks), cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 cup (8 oz.) raspberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup sugar (add more or less depending on tartness of the raspberries)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
• juice of 1 orange
• egg yolk, for egg-wash
• turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
• vanilla ice cream, for serving

1.  To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers to cut in the stick of cold butter until it is the size of peas. Then cut in the frozen butter, leaving it in bigger, visible pieces.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix the water into the flour until just combined.
3. If the dough seems dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. Press the dough together, form into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 400º. Remove the dough from the freezer and let it warm up slightly on the counter.
5. In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar to evenly distribute. Combine raspberries, rhubarb, vanilla sugar, orange juice and cornstarch slurry in a bowl. Gently toss to combine evenly.
6. On a lightly floured surface, flour the disk of dough and compact it into a little rectangle. Fold it over 3 times, like a business letter. Then roll it out into a rectangle again. Repeat this process 3 times.
7. Now, roll the rectangle into a 9″ circle and trim the edges neatly. Fill with the fruit filling.
8. Crimp the edges together, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar. Freeze for 10 minutes before baking.
9. Put the galette on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the juices bubble and the crust browns nicely. Cool before serving. Top with vanilla ice cream.