April 12, 2013

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB GALETTE



I get so excited when I start seeing rhubarb in grocery stores and farmers' markets. (So much so that I accidentally mistake rainbow chard for it all. the. time.) Not only is it a harbinger of spring, it reminds me of summers in Michigan – both of my parents have grown (and scavenged) it for years, pairing it with wild blueberries or strawberries in pies, muffins, pancakes, and crumbles.

Micah has never had rhubarb before, so I wanted to introduce him properly. I wanted something a little more informal than a pie, so I found this galette recipe and tweaked it by adding strawberries. I was also curious about that cornmeal pate brisee - I really only use cornmeal to keep pizza dough from sticking to things, and have always known it deserved better. It added a toothsome, almost-savory-ness to the galette that balanced out the bright tart-sweet of the filling.

I also made this galette while hungry, so I ate a quarter of it immediately after removing it from the oven. Straight off the pan and everything. It was hard to not finish it off before Micah got home from work – I had to constantly remind myself of why I made the damn thing in the first place, and store it out of sight. Sigh. Life is hard. But so, so tasty.