Apricot and Strawberry Almond Galette, a burst of bright colors and fresh flavors, enfolded in a light and crispy crust made with a combination of whole wheat and regular flour. Summer dessert at its best.
Song of the day: Orange Crush - R.E.M.
I cannot think of living a life in black and white. I need color, sunny warm days, loving people and good laughs.
Grey days make me melancholy, neutral tones are not that appealing to me, my clothing reflects my love for color and you hardly see me wearing black and white, or brown, or grey. I spend time coloring a coloring book, it soothes me and relaxes me, and in a drawing, I make sure to use all the colors I possess. My watercolor paintings are usually flowers, therefore pretty colorful. Our house in Edmonton is a display of color, art, and creativity, you might call it eclectic, for us it is joyful.
So when it comes to fruits, summer types are my favorite. They are packed with flavor, they are plump and vibrant, which always keep my smile intact.
Just look at these two fruits, which also happen to be two of my favorites: the apricots, so lively and bright like a sunny summer day, their skin velvety and soft; the strawberries, crimson and vivid, with little golden dimples on their skin. Their flavor is made rich and intense by basking in the sun; strawberries are at their peak right now in this part of the world, apricots just started to make an appearance but they're already juicy and sweet.
Last week, on our usual trip to our local Farmers Market we bought a basket of each, my mind already forming the dessert I wanted to make to pay them tribute. A rustic, country-style, imperfect yet delicious Apricot and Strawberry Almond Galette. I just love galettes and their perfect imperfection, and I just love making any kind of dough. This particular pastry dough, adapted from the cookbook All The Sweet Things by Renée Kohlman who we got to meet at her book signing here in Edmonton, is a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
The filling, other than the fruit, is a mixture made of almond meal, flour, cinnamon, cardamom; like a frangipane layer in between the crust and the fruit. The purpose, other than giving a marvelous taste, is to suck some of the juices from the fruit. But as you can see from the pictures below, those juices escaped anyway, and it's okay, it's the beauty of making a galette.
I cut those little sweet strawberries in half, and I sliced the apricots. As for the skin on, skin off, on the stone fruit, I peeled a couple of apricots and for the others, I left the skin on. Why, you might ask. Well, I tried to please both my mother and Loreto, whose voices I kept hearing in my head and who have opposite opinions on the matter. For Loreto, the skin hosts all the nutrients, therefore I learned to leave the skin on fruit, and on potatoes. For my mother, leaving the skin on fruit and vegetables is unacceptable. She peels everything: fruit, potatoes, carrots, eggplant, mushroom, I cannot imagine telling her that now I eat potatoes with the skin on. She would lecture me for hours, lol.
To sweeten the fruit I used vanilla sugar from The Silk Road Spice Merchant (#nosponsor), and that gave the fruit a beautiful fragrance. The butter dotted on the fruit before the galette hits the oven made the fruit shiny and soft, a nice contrast to the buttery crispness of the galette.
Waiting for this Apricot and Strawberry Almond Galette to cool a bit before cutting it, was the hardest part, lol. The crust is golden and the fruit melds in the center of the galette creating pockets of jam, and soft caramelized fruit, leaving you with a beautiful texture and flavor experience.
We enjoyed a slice of Apricot and Strawberry Almond Galette with a nice big dollop of vanilla bean gelato from a local creamery called Fiasco (#nosponsor). A little taste of Italy on this wonderful galette.
Song of the day: Orange Crush - R.E.M.
PrintApricot and Strawberry Almond Galette
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
Whole wheat pastry:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (I used type 00)
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup cold butter, cubed
- 1 large egg, cold
- ¼ to ½ cup ice-cold water
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
Filling:
- 5 ripe organic apricots, pitted and sliced (skin on or off, your choice)
- 1 cup organic strawberries, washed and halved
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
- ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup almond meal (or ground almonds)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- pinch salt
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
Pastry:
- Combine the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the cubed butter and with a pastry blender cut it until you get a crumbly texture, the size of peas.
- Beat the egg, ¼ cup cold water and vinegar together in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with your hands or a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. If it's too dry, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball, or flat disk. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375° F. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Filling:
- In a large bowl, stir together the fruit, ¼ cup sugar, and vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- In a smaller bowl, stir together the almond meal (or ground almonds), ¼ cup of the sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
Assembly:
- If your dough has rested in the fridge for more than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. It will be easier to roll it.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll our the pastry dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
- Carefully, with the help of a rolling pin, transfer the dough to the baking sheet. (You could also roll the dough directly on the parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to the baking sheet).
- Dust the almond/flour mixture on the surface, leaving a 2-inch border.
- Dump the fruit in the centre, spreading it gently but leaving the border intact.
- Fold the dough over the edge of the fruit and scatter the butter.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the crust, avoiding the fruit. (You could also brush some milk on the border, before sprinkling with sugar).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, rotating the baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through, until the crust is golden and the fruit looks softened.
- Take out of oven and let it cool on a rack before slicing.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
The total time includes the resting time for the dough in the refrigerator. The leftover slices keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days well wrapped in plastic. Warm them up when you want to serve them.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 persons
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Ohhh, this is a beauty! And my favorite kind of cooking! I'll be sharing a crostata later in the week, so you and I are on a similar wavelength, my friend! I love the fresh fruit in this! And the anecdote about your mom lecturing you for hours was adorable! 😉 Have a lovely day! I hope it's filled with sunshine!
Thanks so much! I love galettes and crostate, they are my favorites! Can't wait to see yours! My mother is an awesome lecturer 😉 .
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
Yay for farmer's markets!! So fresh and so awesome. It's hard not to pick up some of everything every time we visit! Love the flavours and colours of this galette! I need to work on my pastry skills and what I love about a galette is that the pastry doesn't have to be shaped absolutely perfectly (which totally works for me) and the more rustic it looks, the better! This one is definitely a beauty! Pinned! Have a wonderful week, you guys 🙂
What would we do without farmers market? All week we wait for our Saturday venture. We just love it! Yes, galette is a rustic dessert that tastes incredible. You don't need to be perfect or skilled 😉 ! Thank you!!
Dana | The Grey Bell says
Wow, stone fruit galettes always scream summer to me. I can't wait to try this one!
Thanks Dana, yes, they are the epitome of summer!
Nicole says
This is such a beautifully written post. We're so fortunate to have vivid colors in nature to bring happiness into our lives. And, this galette looks like it brings a whole lot of happiness as well. 🙂
Oh, thanks so much! Colors make me happy and this galette definitely does 🙂
Amanda Orlando says
This looks beautiful and I love the photography you've done along the way. The raw ingredients look so ripe and fresh this time of year
Thank you! Fruit this time of the year is just so photogenic! 😉
Ayngelina (@Ayngelina) says
Galettes may be one of my favourite desserts to make because there are no rules and it's more rustic.
Exactly my thought, Ayngelina! Thank you! 🙂
Milena | Craft Beering says
My favorite thing here is the use of almond meal in that gorgeous filling. I am totally behind this galette, looks amazing!
Thank you Milena! The almond meal at the base of the fruit gives such a great flavor and textural component.
diversivore says
A rustic and beautiful dessert, and one that truly lets those gorgeous (and yes, colourful!) fruits shine through. I love how you've given the incredible produce center stage, yet added subtle touches in the form of almond and vanilla sugar to elevate the dish and give it nuance. A lovely recipe for a wonderful season, and another excellent addition to your ever-impressive collection. Cheers!
Thank you so much, Sean! Yes, here the fruit is the star of the show, in taste and look. Vanilla sugar is such a great touch to elevate a sweet flavor!
moopbrown says
That looks righteous!
Thanks so much! It was also sooo good 😉 !
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
This looks MAJORLY swoon-worthiy!
Thank you so much! It was indeed very good and gone in the blink of an eye 😉 .