This one smells like strawberry.

Lucy Garcia

The rustic beauty of a galette is something that I cannot bypass. I saw an Strawberry-Apple Galette at my new found favourte destination, The Mansurovs, and I knew it would play on my mind till I made something similar. I needed an opportunity, an excuse to bake… delicate, perishable fruit always seem to present just that window of opportunity!

It was a day I had gone to the market and the vendor got me 2 boxes of pretty strawberries. Yes, right, I coudn’t resist the offer and came home on the double. Day 1 went by, but day 2 had me longing to bake with them. Opportunity came by in a most charming way. Got an invite from the beautiful Amici Cafe in Khan Market, New Delhi for a special bloggers session to sample the cafes aphrodasiac menu for Valentines.

Yes, I would bake a galette for them and one for us too! ‘Us’ because 13th of February is the day Mr PAB fondly marks on his calendar annually as the day Vin met Dee. This was 20 years ago…. 20years??? Time does fly. Here’s a scratchy old picture of ours taken around that time when we were visiting Bath! I still have a bottle of sealed ‘Bath’ water, a ceramic mug & a thimble on my shelf … souvenier cum memories of that visit!

Back to the tart… I used a similar recipe that I had used earlier for the Fresh Fig Tart here. The process of making this moreish tart is as therapeutic an experience as can be. For me, it is pure joy to work with fruit. Rustic, free form pastry makes it even better. Frangipane is a big favourite in our home, and the aromas of the tart baking were instantly mood uplifting.

Needed it because in the background could here my current favourite song playing … by Just Jack, ‘The Day I Died’ … poignant and evocative lyrics. There’s something about the lyrics that makes you think about the small things in every day life, the little joys that we fail to treasure … hmmm.

There’s something about strawberries that make food so much more passionate. They offer tremendous colour play, are sensual and vibrant, and are an absolute pleasure to bake with. I really enjoyed my morning making these galettes as I’m a huge fan of frangipane and free form pastry.

Galette is a general term used in French to designate various types of flat, round or free form crusty cakes. One notable type is the galette des Rois (King cake) eaten on the day of Epiphany. In French Canada, the term galette is usually applied to pastries best described as large cookies.

As David Lebovitz says, “Whether sweet or savory, a galette is less fussy than a traditional tart and offers more crisp crust”. The frangipane layer absorbs some fruit juices and helps keep the crust crisp. I find it also compliments tangy/tart fruits beautifully, and enhances the flavours of sweet ones like apples and peaches. An alternative for frangipane could be biscuit crumbs as Monsieur Lebovitz suggests.

Since this is free form pastry, you can roll it as thick or relatively thinner than a pastry crust. Don’t roll it too thin or it might not be able to hold the weight of the frangipane and fruit. Pleating the sides are also your call entirely … just a border like I’ve done, or almost all the way around with a small opening on top. If the weather is warm, the unbaked tart might benefit from 30 minutes chilling in the fridge. Thereafter, pop it into a preheated oven straight out of the fridge. This article by David Lebovitz on Free-Form Rustic Tarts is a great resource with fabulous tips and how to pictures.

Strawberry Galette with Vanilla Scented Frangipane
Makes 1 8-9″ tart
(I used double the recipe)
1/2 quantity of this recipe, (or 1 9″ quantity of pastry dough)
About 6-8 large strawberries
Frangipane recipe follows
Vanilla Scented Frangipane
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/3rd cup vanilla sugar
60g butter
1tbsp cream
1 large egg
1/2 a vanilla bean
1/8 cup plain flour
1 tsp milk (or a little beaten egg for pastry)
Vanilla sugar for sprinkling
1 tbsp apricot preserve (I used melted marmalade)

Method:
Frangipane

Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Roast them for about 10 minutes, or until slightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

Put the cooled almonds and the sugar into a food processor and process until fine. Add the butter, flour and egg and pulse until well-combined. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean and stir through.

Method:
Galette
Preheat the oven to 200C.

Roll out your pastry dough to about 10-inch diameter. Prick a fork though it every inch or so apart, and place the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spread the frangipane on the dough, leaving about 1 inch perimeter around the outer edge of the dough. Slice the strawberries and place them from outside inwards to form concentric circles to cover the frangipane.

Fold the edges in, pinching a little to make sure they stick. Brush the dough with milk (or eggwash) and give it a good shower of vanilla sugar. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown.

Brush the pastry and top of the galette gently with melted preserve or marmalade as soon as it comes out to give it a good sheen, and seal the moisture in.