I am finally getting around to my promised recipe I made over the weekend. It was delicious!! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our freedom and our country with family. It was R’s first Independence Day. I think she enjoyed the parade.
She has been more irritable as some new teeth are trying to pop through, so the weekend was miserable for her and for us. I had little sleep, going into my last long run before my marathon this weekend, but still managed to to get it done before 6 am. It’s been terribly warm here. R can’t be outside for long before she breaks out in a heat rash. But it was still a fun first Independence Day all things considered. 😉
As I was preparing my strawberry rhubarb galettes (often referred to as tarts) for the first time I began to think about the history of our food. The labor that went into producing food in our country, and how now in modern day society we rarely work to prepare our food.
Having my own garden for the first time has taught me so much and makes the whole baking and cooking process that much more fun. I get to see the fruits of my labor. And it’s hard labor!! Especially in the heat. I have learned to appreciate the farmers who pick our food before it travels hundreds, and sometimes thousands of miles to get to us.
This is why I love buying local. I love our Farmers Market and Greenbluff. I love the farm-to-table concept. Growing my own food and going to local farms and orchards to pick my own food is more meaningful for me.
It’s help inspired many new recipes and creative ways to prepare dishes. It gives me an appreciation to our land and local farmers. It helps foster a deeper appreciation of how food can be used to help or hurt us. And having my own garden or frequenting Farmers Markets on the regular provides safer food. I know where it came from and how it was cultivated. I don’t have to be as concerned about pesticides, insecticides and toxins.
It was so much fun to prepare the galettes with fresh produce, and food seems to taste better when it’s fresh, local, or sown by your own hands. So this summer I have decided to freeze, can and dehydrate as much produce as possible to get me through the winter months so I don’t have to purchase as much out of season produce. I love eating local and eating in season. It’s cheaper, more Eco friendly and healthier.
These tarts were inspired by an article I read on galettes, which are a flat round cake or pastry topped with fruit. The article said they are easier then they seem, and are a great way to use up any bruised fruits or ripe fruits. No need to waste produce. The are easy to freeze, for up to a few months, and great for brunch or dessert.
I am not a dough person, in the sense that I hate making dough. I can’t seem to ever get it right. I fail at pie crusts all the time. So I opt for store bought crusts or an easy nut, cookie, graham cracker like crust. I was tempted to bag attempting a galette because of this.
I read they were easier because the dough didn’t have to be perfect or neatly shaped. That’s what makes them a galette. My father-in-love told me that sometimes the dough that’s the hardest to work with, and doesn’t come together or falls apart turns out the best.
It was true, proved by my recent creation. I am a huge fan of strawberry and rhubarb, so it seemed fitting to try this combination first. The dough wasn’t to terribly hard, although far from perfect, but you can’t tell I struggled after biting into to the tart.
They hit the spot after our dinner on the 4th, and tasted just as good cold the next morning as they did hot. A basic dough, strawberries, rhubarb, a form of sugar, flour, water and butter is all you need. Simple, yet their name makes them seem difficult and only for the more experienced bakers.
My husband loves them and even my nephew enjoyed eating some. We are excited to use fresh peaches and blueberries, and maybe even apples to make more tarts. My next feat is trying a GF galette without butter, making it vegan.
They tasted better knowing where most of the ingredients came from. I am convinced that no matter how experienced a cook you are, you could master a galette. 😉 or maybe you aren’t as intimidated as I was.
- For the Crust
- 2 c all purpose flour
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp raw sugar
- 1 c + 5 Tbs unsalted butter (21 Tbs), cold
- ⅓ - ½ c cold ice water
- For the Filling
- 2½ c sliced strawberries
- 2½ c rhubarb, thinly sliced
- 3½ tbs whole wheat flour
- ¾ c raw sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 c water
- 2 Tbs unsalted butter
- To Make Crust:
- Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until combined and crumbly.
- Slowly add ice water to dough, pulse until dough begins to form.
- Transfer dough to bowl and kneed dough together.
- Divide into 4 chunks and cover dough, placing in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- To Make Filling:
- Combine strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour and water in large bowl.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Soften dough at room temp for 5 minutes.
- On a floured surface, roll each chunk to about ¼-1/2 inch thick, about 10-12 inches in diameter.
- Place dough on parchment lined cookie sheet, top with filling leaving 2-3 inches on the borders. Fold edges over.
- Place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Brush crust with some water (or left over filling juice). Dot filling with butter.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, until filling is bubbling and crust is golden.
Enjoy!!
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit
How was your Independence Day? Do you have a garden or enjoy farm-to-table meals? Have you ever tried making a galette?
Bry, I love how you view the world, and that you are such a conscious consumer. I never thought to appreciate the millions of people who pick our food on a daily basis– pretty lame because I live in an area that produces most of the worlds strawberries and I see the workers laboring 7 days a week. Now when I see them I will send a prayer of gratitude. I have been meaning to try rhubarb this summer- I’m pushing 50 and have never tried it! I love love love the galette vs. a pie.. a wildflower vs. a greenhouse flower.. see where I’m going with this? I love things that are unruly and organic. Bry, I feel like I’ve gotten to know you. You may seem type A and you can be, but there’s a wildflower in you that rises up in all of it’s beauty through the mud and sand. Love you! xoxo
I think when you start to grow your own food it makes you more aware of those who produce our food on a daily basis. You have to try rhubarb it’s so good!! I love it with strawberry. Can’t believe you haven’t tried it. I think you are right. I can definitely be more of a wildflower.