Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette

Second chances...don't you love them!

I thought my rhubarb crown had sung its last hurrah at the end of summer. It simply withered away and looked like nothing more than a remnant of something that was...then, on a little inspection of the whole patch, there was a little leaf!

Hope stirred and after a little tender loving care (and a dose or two of seaweed enhanced watering), a second and third leaf appeared and then after some weeks, there were 5 large stalks there, calling to be made into something special. To say I was excited would be an understatement. The thought of another season of heritage variety rhubarb was just wonderful.

This rhubarb and strawberry galette is delicious. In fact, I'd go as far to say it's immediately hit the top 5 of my favourite desserts. The combination of the tangy rhubarb along with the sweetness of the strawberries, all encased in a rustic galette, is just gastronomy gold!

I hope you try out this recipe, it's an absolute cracker! Oh, and aside from making the whole galette, you could also make a conserve by combining all the ingredients for the filling in a high sided baking tray and roasting it for about 45 minutes until lovely and tender. Then store the conserve in a clean jar and serve it with ice cream, granola, yoghurt or even in a cake or loaf!

As you know I adore seeing all your creations, so if you give this or any of my recipes a go please don't forget to tag me on your socials so I can see it!

Happy baking!

H xx

Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus refrigeration time
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
Pastry:  

• 1 ½ cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, firmly packed  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes  
• 125g unsalted butter, straight from the fridge and cut into cubes  
• 1 tablespoon ouzo  
• ¼ cup iced water

Filling:  

• 5 stalks rhubarb, cut in half vertically then cut into 4cm strips  
• 400g strawberries, hulled and cut in half 
• ¾ cup raw caster sugar  
• Zest of one lemon  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste  
• 6 sprigs fresh lemon thyme, leaves only  
• 1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour    

Topping:  

• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon demerara sugar

Instructions:

1. To make the pastry, pulse the flour, sugar and sea salt flakes in a food processor a few times. Add the cubed butter and pulse about a dozen times until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Combine the ouzo with the iced water and then pour into the processor. Pulse about 20 times until the mixture just begins to come together. Pour onto a lightly floured large piece of baking paper, shape into a disc then wrap up in the paper and pop in the fridge to rest for about an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. To make the filling, place all the ingredients except for the tablespoon of flour into a large bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
4. Place the pastry disc onto a lightly floured, large piece of baking paper and roll out to make a 35-40 cm circle (it doesn't have to be exact at all). Place the tablespoon of flour to the rhubarb mixture and stir so that the flour soaks up some of the juices. Place all the filling into the centre of the circle, leaving about an inch border around the circle. Using the baking paper, lift the edges around the filling folding as you go, encasing the rhubarb and strawberry filling.
5. Make the eggwash by whisking together the egg and the water. Brush all the exposed pastry with the eggwash, making sure to get into all the creases of the pastry. Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the eggwash. Place the galette (with the baking paper) onto a pizza tray and then pop into the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry is crispy and golden brown, and the filling has become bubbly and almost jammy.
6. Allow to cool on the tray for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving while still warm. Feel free to add a big dollop of quality vanilla ice cream to the middle of the galette or a smaller scoop alongside each wedge.

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