Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

Finally it's Spring!  Well, it felt more like Spring a few days ago when it was breezy and warm but today's chance of flurries and drizzle is Spring-like too, just not as fun.  Somewhere it is warm enough to grow rhubarb and I've been buying the jewel-toned stalks for a couple of weeks now.  Earlier I made a rhubarb crisp from a recipe that mysteriously did not call for a thickener.  Hmmm...  doesn't really work well that way and I didn't catch it during prep so we ate it in bowls but did not post it.  Last weekend the strawberries looked fabulous along with the rhubarb so I threw together galette.  The rustic one-crust pie is just faster from start to finish than a double crust or streusel-topped pie so that's the direction I chose.  Delicious.  And you don't feel so guilty eating it for a mid-morning snack because a nice little slice resembles a pastry.  Not that either choice would be free of guilt for most people, but I just can't get that worked up over treating myself to something so delicious.  That's why I go to yoga, jump on the stair-master, lift weights, break out the TRX and all that other good stuff.  I would look amazing if I didn't have dessert, but at the moment I don't feel the need for amazing.  I'll go with fit.

I love rhubarb in all it's tart-y splendor, but marrying it with the sweet goodness of strawberries is just that much more wonderful.  I adapted this recipe from Fine Cooking's raspberry-rhubarb galette.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crostata

dough:

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

12 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces or dice

1/2 C ice water

filling:

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut in 1/2 inch slices (3-4 C when prepped)

2 C strawberries, stemmed and sliced

3 T flour

1 1/4 C sugar

melted butter or egg white for brushing on the pastry

coarse or sparkling coarse sugar for topping

In a medium bowl by hand or in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and either cut in the butter or pulse in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the ice water and toss just until it comes together (be especially careful in a food processor) or you will have tough pastry.  Press the dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

While the dough chills make the filling.  Trim the ends of the rhubarb stalks and cut into 1/2-1-inch thick slices.  In a large bowl toss the rhubarb with the strawberries, flour and sugar.  Let stand 10-15 minutes for the juices to release.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a 14-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick.  Transfer the dough to the prepared sheet.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spread fruit mixture in the center of the dough leaving a 2 to 3-inch edge to fold over.  Carefully fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, pleating as you go.  Brush dough with melted butter or an egg white wash (one egg white and 2 T water, beaten).  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.  If you can, place foil or another baking sheet on a rack below your galette.  My filling was extra juicy and escaped onto my oven floor and that's never fun to clean up.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit is soft and bubbling.

rolled dough

topped with fruit mixture

pleating sides

ta-da!  

brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with demerara sugar

see the weak spot in my pastry, the collapse and the beautiful mess?
still tasty, just a little extra oven clean-up