El Kemp's Strawberry Rye Galette
/This delicious recipe from El Kemp makes the perfect summer dessert, especially when British strawberries are so sweet at the moment…
A galette is a great place to start if you are new to making pastry, it is a free form tart and is meant to look rustic. You can omit the crème patissiere if you don’t have the time; the flaky rye pastry and fruit filling is plenty. The recipe can also be adjusted to use whichever fruits are in season. Although strawberries can be found in supermarkets all year round British strawberries taste best when they come into season over the summer months.
INGREDIENTS:
800g strawberries
50g caster sugar
Other fruits that work well; apricots, rhubarb, plums, apples, pears
for the pastry
200g white rye flour
60g caster sugar
120g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
60g crème fraiche or plain yogurt
pinch of sea salt
zest of half a lemon
1 egg beaten, to glaze
for the crème patissiere
300 ml whole milk
20 g sifted plain flour
4 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
to serve
crème fraiche, plain yogurt or vanilla ice cream
METHOD:
First make the pastry. Combine the sugar, flour, salt and lemon zest. Add the cubed butter and use a food processor or a fork to mix together until you have a coarse crumb, it is ok to still have visible clumps of butter. Add the crème fraiche and bring the dough together with your hands. If the dough is too dry to form a ball in your hands you may need to add a splash of cold water. Once combined, wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 45 minutes. The pastry can be chilled over night and will last for 3 days in the fridge if you want to make ahead.
Slice the strawberries in halves or quarters if they are larger and mix through the sugar. Reserve 1 tbsp of the sugar to sprinkle on the tart once assembled. Leave the the strawberries to macerate in the sugar.
If you are making the crème patisserie then start by whisking together the sugar and egg yolks for 2-3 minutes until pale and thickened. Sift in the plain flour and whisk to combine. Heat the milk in a pan with the vanilla pod until starting to boil, then remove from the heat and pour the hot milk into the sugar and egg mix, whisking as you combine. Pour the mixture back into the pan on a medium heat stirring constantly and being careful the bottom of the pan doesn't stick. Remove from the heat once thickened.
Once the pastry is chilled, heat the oven to 180/ Gas Mark 4. Lay a large piece of baking parchment on a work surface and dust with a little flour. Place the pastry onto the parchment and with a floured rolling pin roll the pastry into a circle approximately 35cm diameter. The circle doesn’t need to be perfect but should be approximately 3mm thick.
Spread the crème patisserie into the centre of the pastry leaving 3-4cm border all the way around. Add the strawberries on top of the crème patissiere. Fold the border over the filling, don’t worry about being too neat, make folds when you need to and if the pastry tears just pinch back together. Brush the folded border with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining sugar. Slide the galette, still on the baking paper onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Don’t worry if the tart has leaked, as the fruit roasts it creates a sweet jammy liquid which keeps the pastry moist.
Serve warm with crème fraiche, plain yoghurt or vanilla ice cream. The tart will be fine to keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Find out more about Kemp Kitchen and other great recipes at www.kempkitchen.co.uk.