Strawberry Fennel Pollen Galette
Summer strawberries, fennel pollen, and buttery pie crust. This gorgeous galette is delightful and delicious, with a little touch of magic.
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar or fennel pollen sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter cold, diced
- ~ ½ cup very cold water
Strawberry filling
- 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries hulled & sliced
- ¼ cup fennel pollen sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (½ a lemon)
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons flour
For crust
- 2 tbsp heavy cream (or a beaten egg)
- coarse sugar, like demerara or turbinado
Fennel pollen whipped cream
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons fennel pollen sugar
Instructions
- Make the pie dough: Whisk 1 ¼ cups flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, and ¼ tsp salt together in a large bowl. Blend 4 oz cold, diced butter in with your fingers, mixing until the butter is evenly distributed and there are some large and small chunks of butter remaining. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add cold water, starting with about ¼ cup. Blend water in gradually, using a fork or wooden spoon, adding additional water a tablespoon or so at a time. Mix until the dough just comes together in a shaggy mass. Knead it together lightly with your hands, form it into a rough disc, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Prep the strawberries: Wash, hull, and slice the 1 ½ pounds of strawberries. Toss in a bowl with ¼ cup fennel pollen sugar, juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of salt. Set aside to macerate for at least 15 minutes (so the flavor develops).
- Roll & fill: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pie dough into a rough circle*, about 12 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect. You can use the edge of your hands to tidy up the sides a bit if you like.Sprinkle the 3 Tbsp flour over the dough, leaving roughly a 2-inch border around the edges. Scoop macerated berries out of bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving behind their syrupy juices.** Mound them evenly on top of the flour, then fold the edges up around the filling.
- Chill: Don't skip this step! Freeze the galette for 20-30 minutes, until pie dough feels cold and solid. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Bake: Brush edges of tart with the heavy cream or beaten egg & sprinkle with sugar, then bake until filling is bubbling wildly and crust is a nice golden brown. Some strawberry juice might seep out during baking, that's normal. Galettes are messy and rustic, but that doesn't make them any less delicious.Let the galette cool at least 30 minutes before slicing into it.
- Make fennel pollen cream: While galette is cooling, whisk ½ cup cream and 1-2 Tbsp (depending on your sweetness preference) fennel pollen sugar together until soft peaks form.***
- Enjoy: Serve strawberry galette warm, room temperature, or cold with a dollop of fennel pollen whipped cream.
Notes
*Galette size & shape: Alternatively, you could shape the galette into a rectangle (see Huckleberry Galette) or make 5-6 individual galettes (see Tomato Galettes).
**Strawberry juices: You want to leave the syrupy strawberry juices behind. If you dump the saucy strawberries in the pie dough, it's going to be way too wet when it bakes. But feel free to save those juices! You can brush it on top of the berries after the tart bakes or save it for mixing into lemonade, iced tea, or margaritas.
***Making whipped cream: My favorite way to make a small amount of whipped cream is to use a milk frother. I just pour the cream in a tall glass and froth until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. You can also use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, electric beaters, or simply shake it up in a jar with a lid.