Balsamic Strawberry Fruit Galette

This fruit galette is perfect when strawberries are in season, but it works all year round with whatever fruits you have. The ingredients are simple ones that you would find in your store cupboard, so this is perfect for last minute desserts too.

Forget fancy tarts with complicated decorations and make this rustic pie instead - no tin and no fuss!

What is a galette?

A galette is essentially something with a flat round shape which is either sweet, like this strawberry galette or the famous Galette du Rois, which is easten on 12th Night, or it's the Breton version. A Breton galette is a savoury crêpe, made with buckwheat flour and typically filled with ham, cheese and egg for lunch. You can find my recipe here.

What are the ingredients?

Apart from the strawberries all of the ingredients should be in your store cupboard.

For the pastry you will need

• 180 g of plain or all purpose flour
• 90 g butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 50 g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water (if needed)

The filling

• 2 tablespoon ground almonds
• 350 g stawberries, quartered
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

To bake

• 1 egg
• 10 g granulated sugar

How to make the fruit galette

Make the pastry by pulsing the butter and flour together in a food processor. You could also do this by hand, with a pastry cutter or just a fork.

Add the icing sugar and the egg yolk and pulse a few times. Check with your fingers if the mixture is going to stick together easily. You may need to add up to a tablespoon of water.

Bring the dough together into a ball and flatten it. This will make it easier to roll out later. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Wash and hull the strawberries and quarter or halve them, depending on their size. Mix with the vinegar and sugar for a few minutes. They will start to ooze some liquid.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 180 C or 355 F, Gas Mark 5.

Take the pastry from the fridge and unwrap carefully, leaving it on the cling film. Cover with another sheet of cling and roll out to 30cm round. This makes it much easier to roill the pastry without it sticking.

Place the pastry on the parchment and scatter the ground almonds over the base about 5cm from the edge.

Drain the strawberries over a sieve. and then spoon the strawberries over the almonds.

Fold the pastry into the middle, working around the galette.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling.

Leave to cool completely before moving the strawberry galette to a plate.

The balsamic vinegar adds a gorgeous sweetness and really brings out the flavour of the strawberries. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

The pastry is crisp and buttery and perfect served with a dollop of cream!

Variations

My neighbour often made this dish with plums, which is delicious, especially the cherry plum Mirabelle, which often grows on country lanes.

You could try these

• fresh peaches or nectarines in slices. Canned will also work well if well drained.
• Sliced dessert apples
• a mix of blueberries, blackberries, red currants and rasperries
• apricots or mangoes

Other French desserts to try

• Chocolate Mousse with 2 ingredients
• Salted Caramel Mille Feuille
• Nutella Macarons
• Lavender Crème Brûlée
• Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
• Cherry Clafoutis

More dessert recipes

• Apple Caramel Crumble Tart
• Treacle Tart
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart
• Raw Egg Free Tiramisu

Food safety

We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove