Strawberry Galette

 

This is the simplest way to put a fruit pie together. If you’ve got some pie dough on hand (even a store-bought one will do) you can complete it in a flash. There’s just some rolling, slicing, filling, and folding to do. Oh, and I added a quick bit of spreading, too, in the form of a cream cheese layer between the sweetened berries and the crust.

I took the idea for the cream cheese layer from Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski. A lot of fruit pies in that book start with a thin layer between pie and fruit. I spread mine on a little bit thicker, which added some tang and richness to my galette without making you think you’re eating cheesecake. I really does seem to help keep the crust from getting soggy as well.

 

I also borrowed my crust formula and method from Sister Pie. The book makes pie crust drudgery into a labor of love, and with the proper care and attention, the resulting pastry is well worth the added effort. I highly suggest you get a hold of this book and see for yourself! That being said, this crust dough, and the one in this post or this post will certainly do just fine for your Strawberry Galette. I made the full recipe for Ludwinski’s “All-Butter Pie Dough”, which is enough for two crusts (or a top and a bottom crust), made this quiche with one of them, and stashed the other in the freezer to await my pie-making pleasure.

And so it was ready for me when I found local strawberries at their sweet, juicy peak. I didn't need to add much to make this wonderful deliciousness - bursting, exuberant summer captured in a golden pastry! Pure, sweet strawberry satisfaction!

You could add some other flavors like fresh basil, lemon verbena, or mint. You could adjust the sugar to taste. You could add other in-season berries or make a whole other fruit galette (see recipes listed at the bottom of the page). Just don’t let summer go by without enjoying something as much as I enjoyed this luscious strawberry dessert!

Strawberry Galette with Cream Cheese

Egg wash – a mixture of beaten egg and a little water, milk, or cream -  and a sprinkling of coarse sugar aren’t strictly necessary, but they do help make a shiny, golden, tasty crust. I also like to bake a galette like this until the crust is quite dark and crisp.

3 cups hulled and sliced or chopped fresh strawberries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup sugar

1 single-crust pie dough, unbaked, kept chilled until ready to roll out

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

Egg wash and coarse sugar for the crust, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the strawberries, lemon juice, cornstarch,  and sugar. Toss together to combine well. Set aside.

3. On a well-floured surface, roll out the pie dough into about a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking pan.

4. Spread the cream cheese evenly on the dough, stopping about 2 inches from the edges all the way around. Mound the berry mixture on top of the cream cheese, stopping where you stopped spreading the cream cheese.

5. Fold the uncovered edges of the pastry up over the strawberry mixture, crimping and slightly overlapping as needed. The folded pastry should just form a rim encasing the fruit around the whole diameter of the pie, not cover all of the filling.

6. Brush the egg wash over the folded crust if desired and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425 F for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is a dark golden brown, the filling is bubbly, and the berries are soft. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve warm or completely cooled. Whipped cream and vanilla ice cream are good accompaniments. (This should go without saying!)

Makes 6-8 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Berry and Rhubarb Galette, Rhubarb Ginger Galette, Pear and Blackberry Galette, Plum and Grape Galette with Almonds

One year ago: Spiral Shredded Salad with Miso Ginger Dressing and Scalloped Corn with Sour Cream and Chile

Strawberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

 

Well, this is embarrassing. I’m not dead and I haven’t starved. Those are the most important things, I guess. That and getting back to posting after way too long.

And getting back with this super-easy, brightly seasonal, sweet and delicious pound cake makes everything all better.

 

I wish I had had a chance to photograph the beautiful strawberries I acquired for this cake while they were in their lustrous prime. They were the first locally-grown berries I had a chance to scoop up, and they were beautiful. They were also particularly delicious, which, in turn, made a delicious cake. I just stirred them into an easy, sweet pound cake batter, and all was right with the world.

I kept things pretty simple with just the strawberries and a bit of vanilla, but I think there are plenty of other ways you could go with this basic cake. I’d like to add some fresh basil or mint with the strawberries. Other berries would be good, too, and maybe some rhubarb. This basic sour cream pound cake batter could also easily house chocolate chips or nuts, too. Let the season be your guide.

And with cake this easy and satisfying, there should be a cake for every season. Right now, strawberries rule the scene.

Strawberry Sour Cream Pound Cake

Adapted from thebittersideofsweet.com

1 ½ all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon fine salt

1 stick (1/4 pound), room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup sour cream

1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease it with butter. Coat the sprayed pan with flour. Set aside.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar at medium speed until well-creamed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine well after each one. Beat in the vanilla extract.

4. Beat in about one third of the flour mixture followed by half the sour cream. Beat in another one third of the flour mixture, then the remaining half of the sour cream, then the last of the flour.

5. Fold in the chopped strawberries by hand with a spoon or rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake at 350 F for 60-70 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter sticking to it. Cool in the pan about 10 minutes. Run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn out the cake and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Cherry Almond Loaf Cake, White Cake with Berries and Lemon Glaze, Strawberry Basil Muffins

One year ago: Greens and Cheese Panini with Bacon

Friday Night and Stawberry Basil Muffins

 

It’s Friday night again! And what a week this has been! Plus, there were muffins with strawberries and fresh basil.

The day job…

**The less said about that the better. Too many days. Too many hours. Too many unpleasant surprises.

**But I’m on vacation for most of the upcoming week!!

 

The garden…

**There are enough cherry tomatoes to roast and make Roasted Tomato and Olive Galette. This is one if my favorite summer dishes, and I can hardly wait to make it!

**The progression of the zucchini is rapidly transcending the “gosh, that’s a lot of zucchini” stage into “OMG! What am I going to do with all this zucchini?!?” If I don’t make some zucchini bread soon, I may lose the battle.

Reading…

**You know your reading time is not what you’d like it to be when you can’t finish a stage in A Series of Unfortunate Events in a week. *Sigh*

**Maybe I’ll be able to make some progress on To Green Angel Tower during my vacation, although if I travel, I may just bring something (physically) lighter.

**I’m also having my mind blown away by China Mieville for the third time in my life. I’m deep into The Scar, which may be partially responsible for me not finishing The Miserable Mill, or even trying to get enough sleep at night. Awesome stuff!

**I’m also being gently pressured to read some comic books. Hmmm….

Recipes…

**This week I made and ate a batch of White Bean Soup with Fresh Herbs

 

**Tried and loved some delicious, delicious Zucchini Cheddar Risotto. (More on that in the next week or two.)

**Tried and did not love some zucchini breakfast cookies.

**Curled some puff pastry around homemade basil pesto, palmier style for a fabulous appetizer/snack.

**And made some Strawberry Basil Muffins….

I made these muffins based on this Peach Pecan Muffin recipe, but left off the crumb topping. I also took a strawberries-and-cream approach by making them with heavy cream instead of milk (or buttermilk, or whatever.) The batter ended up very thick, almost trying to be a cookie dough, but only almost. It’s still batter. The strawberries get a bit smashed up as they are stirred in, contributing to the moisture enough to keep things deliciously muffin-y.

I’ve come to love a subtle hint of basil in sweetened baked goods, like these cookies, and it did wonders for these little muffins. Strawberries and basil are good together anyway, and it turns out that basil and muffins are good together, too, for a double whammy.

I hope your week was good, and if you have to work this weekend, I hope your R & R is soon.

Vacation!

Strawberry Basil Muffins

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup heavy cream, plus more if needed

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries

¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line it with paper liners. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together with a whisk. Set aside.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the egg and melted butter. Whisk together until very smooth and pale in color. Whisk in the sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

4. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be very thick and stiff. Add some more cream if it seems like the dry ingredients will never be moistened.

5. Stir in the strawberries and basil. Again, the batter is thick. Don’t worry about smashing the strawberries into the batter. It’s okay!

6. Scoop the batter into the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with no wet batter clinging to it. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Other recipes like this one: Peach Pecan Muffins, Poppy Seed and Plum Muffins with Almond, Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins, Blueberry Coconut Muffins

One year ago: Blueberry Banana Quick Bread