Published: May 28, 2019 27 Comments

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette

This easy and rustic strawberry rhubarb galette, otherwise known as a crostata, is a free-form tart and the best fruit galette recipe for springtime!

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If you’ve never made a galette, know that it’s way easier to make than it looks. Easier than a layer cake and more rustic and casual than a pie.

I’ve made mini mixed berry galettes with chocolate crust before. I’ve made plum galettes before. I’ve even made fancy pants poached mead pear galettes! Galettes are the little black dress of desserts.

What’s a galette

A galette is a free-form tart that is made without a pie or tart pan. The dough is rolled out and filling is piled into the middle of the dough, then the edges are folded over forming a crust.

The word “galette” is actually a French word and it is exactly the same as a crostata, which is the Italian word for a free-form tart! So, if you’re serving an Italian meal, you can call this dessert a strawberry rhubarb crostata instead!

The dough is often made with a tenderizer like egg yolk or buttermilk and is rolled a little thicker than a pie dough, because it needs to support the filling by itself. Galettes are easy-to-make, and are a great rustic dessert that impress most folks with their beautiful charm.

Make the dough ahead

If you have the forethought, make the galette dough the day before and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Store it in the fridge overnight. Or place the plastic wrapped dough in a quart resealable plastic bag and freeze it!

The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just defrost by placing it in the refrigerator the night before to thaw, or on the counter at room temperature for about an hour.

Cheat with store-bought crust

If you’re short on time or you’re freaked out about making crust (I promise my crust is super easy and forgiving but I get it!) you can cheat by using store-bought pie crust or even puff pastry!

Just make sure the crust is thawed completely (if frozen). Then use it like the homemade rolled out dough in the recipe, piling the fruit filling in the center and folding the crust over it.

Bake as directed, but keep an eye on the crust if you’re using puff pastry. It might bake faster because of the extra butter in it, so check about 30 minutes into baking! If you find the crust baking too fast and the filling isn’t bubbling try covering the edges of the crust with aluminum foil to slow it down as the filling continues to cook.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette, the perfect easy springtime dessert.

Make the entire galette ahead

Like most baked goods, galettes are best served the day they are made. But you can make the galette a day ahead and store it covered at room temperature. If you’d like to warm the galette up, you can pop it back into a preheated 350°F oven on a baking sheet for 10 or 15 minutes. This will not only warm it up but also crisp the crust as well. Whatever you do, don’t microwave the galette. The microwave will just toughen the crust and then make it soggy.

Why use an apple in the filling

This filling is a combination of tart rhubarb and sweet strawberry. I like to use a minimal amount of sugar and starch to thicken and sweeten the filling so the fruit flavors really shines through. The secret weapon for this is an apple! A grated apple not only helps to thicken the filling (apples are naturally full of pectin, the natural ingredient that is thickens jams and jellies) but also sweetens it. The flavor is fairly neutral so it doesn’t interfere with the rhubarb and strawberry flavors at all.

Why use tapioca flour in the filling

Tapioca flour is a thickener that is often used in pie fillings. It can be found online and at well stocked grocery stores. If you make a lot of pies and tarts, I highly recommend buying some tapioca starch as is thickens fairly well, especially under acidic conditions. It also creates a glossy thickened filling with a neutral flavor. But if don’t have tapioca starch and you don’t feel like buying a package just for this recipe, just substitute the same amount of cornstarch in its place. Don’t use flour as a thickener in this recipe. It will dull the filling in both flavor and color.

If you like this strawberry rhubarb galette, try these other rhubarb recipes:

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