Galette it, girl

Right now, my mood is: rock and roll all day...to keep from being overwhelmed by the news. So, I'll be here kneading out pie crust to "Town Called Malice" and "Psycho Killer" and a little bit of Hot Chip, all in our Cooking Vol. 1 playlist. Play it loud.

In case you are unaware, as I was, August 2020 starts tomorrow. My mind had stalled somewhere between April and June. Many of my thoughts in the last week have started with, "well, when summer starts..." Oh, right. This year, summer has shown itself not with far-flung holidays and backyard barbecues, but with fruits, vegetables, flavors. Corn cobs with melted butter and strawberries as sweet as candy and fresh figs that transport you (briefly) to the Greek isles and juicy, almost nutty apricots and bright sunshine-y peaches.

And what am I wont to do with said summertime produce? Galette it, of course. Free-form pie is the best of all worlds as far as I'm concerned: it's baking, but with plenty of wiggle room; it works with many, many different flavors; it looks best "rustic" which means there's no piping or braiding or any precise decor work.

I know that pie crust is intimidating, so I have my full process written below. But let's start with some fun and timely flavor combos to inspire your summer galette game.

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The Galette
Use this as your guide, but go wild with the filling. The world is your oyster.

Almond & Apricot
As it is officially stone fruit season, start with slices of apricot in a bowl (at least 4 or 5 apricots, I'd say). Mix with 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1/3 cup granulated sugar (or light brown sugar), a pinch of kosher salt. Arrange them purposefully or dump them in the middle, it matters not.

Peach (or Plum) & Vanilla
Slice up 4 peaches, mix them in a bowl with a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract, a pinch of kosher salt, about 1/4 cup granulated or light brown sugar. Arrange or dump, bake, and give yourself an immense amount of credit.

Mixed Berries
I recently got the most delicious golden raspberries I've ever eaten from the farmer's market and had I not immediately eaten every last one, I'd have used them in a mixed berry galette. You'll want about 2 cups of berries mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of kosher salt, a large pinch of sugar (berries are naturally very sweet). Use shredded coconut as a barrier between the crust and the berries. Perfection.

Apple or Pear with Miso
Yep, this one sounds weird but is bliss. Combine 1 tablespoon butter with 1/2 tablespoon miso paste, melt them at 10 second intervals in the microwave or over low heat on the stove. Then mix that with the sliced apples or pears, a healthy pinch of sugar, and let it cool to room temperature before dumping onto the pie crust. The salty, sweet, umami will blow your damn mind.

Or, of course, go savory with a summer tomato galette. You could do roasted eggplant or zucchini with that treatment, too.

The Crust
The trick with anything as simplistic as pie crust is the attention you have to pay. It's flour, cold butter, a pinch of salt, a bigger pinch of sugar, and some ice cold water. That's all you need, plus a cold fridge and your undivided attention.

First, take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into cubes. Put it back into the fridge to keep it cold while you prep the rest. (Have I mentioned the butter needs to stay cold?)

Then, fill a large bowl with flour, add a pinch of kosher salt and up to 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Use a spoon or whisk to mix it all together, which will sort of naturally sift the flour, too. Fill a measuring cup with about 3/4 cup water and a few ice cubes to keep that cold, too.

With a pastry blender or a large fork or your hands, "cut in" the butter. That means you dump the butter into the flour and start mashing it up as quickly as possible to combine it all together. You want the flour to start clumping together and to start taking on the yellowish color of the butter. When the butter is no larger than pea-sized and the flour somewhat resembles wet sand, stop. You want some chunks of cold butter in the flour, because that's what makes the crust flaky. The dough should still be quite loose.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the ice cold water and use your hands or a pastry blender to fully combine and make sure the dough is wet but not sticky. If you need more water, add it about 1 tablespoon at a time. This is when the dough just starts to come together. (If the dough is sticky, you've added too much water. Dust some flour on top and mix until it feels wet, but not sticky anymore.)

Dust the counter or cutting board with flour and dump the whole mixture on top. Working quickly with your hands, knead the dough into a large ball. Cut the ball into two equal halves and wrap each tightly in Saran wrap. Pop them into the fridge to chill for at least an hour or, even better, overnight. Alternately, pop them into the freezer for impromptu pie crust. It'll save for a month or more.

When you're ready to roll out the crust, dust the counter or cutting board with a big handful of flour. Then, use this excellent video from Saveur for rolling instructions. Just skip the part where they transfer it to a dish, because we're all about free-form here.

Sending love and hoping you send galette pics back,