Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

It’s that magical time of year when strawberries and rhubarb are in season! Together, these two fruits [okay, rhubarb technically isn’t a fruit but whatever] make a perfect flavour match of sweet and tart. We’re fortunate to have a thriving rhubarb at the allotment, with beautifully pink stalks. Likewise, British strawberries are having an excellent season and are perfectly juicy and sweet. I knew that I wanted to make some sort of pie this summer and I settled on this recipe for a rustic strawberry rhubarb galette. I’m pretty pleased with how this galette turned out. I encourage you to try my recipe, and take advantage of the gorgeous seasonal produce!

A galette is a is a free-form pie with a single crust. For my galette, I decided to improvise a bit with the pastry. Rather than using plain flour, I created a hybrid of a cornmeal and wholemeal dough. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit crunchy, and kind of tastes like a shortbread biscuit. So delicious! Want to make this rustic strawberry rhubarb galette vegan / plant based? No worries, just substitute vegan butter!

Galette with Ice Cream — Rustic strawberry rhubarb galette served with soy ice cream

For more on eating seasonally and summer baking see:

Rustic Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

A simple and classic free-form pie made with juicy strawberries and tart rhubarb. The perfect seasonal summer dessert, with the option of making it vegan-friendly!

For the Galette Pastry

¾ Cup Plain Flour
¼ Cup Polenta ((corn meal))
½ Cup Wholewheat Flour ((wholemeal))
1 Tbsp. Sugar
½ Tsp. Salt
½ Cup Unsalted cold butter, cubed ((substitute vegan butter))
6 Tbsp. Cold Water

For the Filling

350 grams Diced Rhubarb ((½ inch pieces))
300 grams Strawberries ((quartered))
⅓ Cup Sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. Corn Starch ((corn flour))
2 Tbsp. Almond Flour ((ground almonds))
1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil ((melted))
Demerara Sugar ((for sprinkling))

For your galette dough, mix together the flours, polenta, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add your cubes of cold butter and massage with your finger tips until you have a crumbly pea-sized mixture. You can alternatively use a pastry blender.
Next, add the cold water and mix with your hands until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough as a flat disk and refrigerate for around 30 minutes.
To assemble your filling, add you strawberries and rhubarb pieces to a medium bowl. Sprinkle the sugar and corn starch on top, but don't mix.
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Use a baking sheet with a ridge (to avoid liquid spilling) and line it with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Once your dough is chilled, roll it out on a floured surface to a 14 inch circle and transfer to your baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with almond flour to help absorb some of the juice.
Now mix together the fruit with the sugar and add this filling to the centre of your pastry, leaving an edge. It doesn't need to look perfect, it's rustic!
Fold the edges over your filling. Brush the edge with coconut oil and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
Bake your galette for around 35 minutes, and let cool slightly before serving.