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.
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:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle
- Meyer Lemon Strawberry Rhubarb Shaker Tart
- Plum and Rhubarb Cobbler
- Rhubarb Berry Slab Pie
- Rhubarb Chutney
- Rhubarb Meyer Lemon Cake
Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
Ingredients
Galette Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 350 g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter 225 g or 2 sticks
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup cold water plus 1 tablespoon if needed
Filling
- 3 cups strawberries about 9 ounces
- 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb about 4 ounces or 1 large thick stalk
- 1/2 medium apple peeled, cored and grated through the big hole of a box grater
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar 50 g
- 2 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper optional but recommended
- Pinch of salt
To Finish
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar optional but recommended
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir vigorously together with a whisk until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Using your fingers and hands, first toss the butter in the flour, then smash the butter into thin slivers, breaking them up as you go.
- Once they have been broken and flattened into small bits the size of peas, add the egg yolks to the 1/2 cup water in a glass measuring cup and beat together with a fork. Drizzle the eggy water over the butter and flour. Toss with a fork until the dough starts to come together. If the dough still isn’t forming, add additional water, 1 tablespoon water until it does. Massage the mass with your hands until it forms a cohesive dough.
- Flatten into a disk about 1 inch thick, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°On a clean surface dusted with flour, roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle. Slip a clean piece of parchment paper under the dough, then move the dough to a 13 x 18 inch rimmed baking sheet. Don’t worry if the dough hangs over the edges a little bit.
- Make the filling by cutting the greens off the strawberries, the cutting them in half (or quarters if they are very large). Place the strawberries in a medium sized bowl and add the remainder of the ingredients. Gently toss and mix with a large spatula.
- Dump the entire filling in the middle of the rolled out dough and then spread it out evenly, leaving about 2 inches around the edge of the crust. Arrange the strawberries and rhubarb so most of them are on top, and the grated apple is underneath if possible.
- Start folding the edge of the dough over the fruit filling in a circle, “pleating” the dough to make it fold around the filling. the whole galette should be about 9 inches in diameter and fit comfortably in the center of the parchment paper and baking sheet.
- Beat together the egg yolk and the water in a small bowl. Brush the top crust (as well as under the pleats of dough to “seal” the dough to itselwith the egg wash, trying not to get any of the egg wash on the parchment paper. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
- Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before slipping the galette onto a serving platter. Brush with balsamic vinegar if using and serve.
Jenn says
Could you use frozen berries and rhubarb for this?