The Flying Kitchen

When you have only a handful of berries and a smidge of time, a galette is in order. The less-fussy cousin of the traditional pie – a galette is made with a rustic pastry without a pie pan. It is baked on a flat surface like a sheet pan or a pizza pan. Think of it like a pizza where you fold the edges of the dough over the toppings a little.

Quality ingredients are key here in making this simple treat a flavor-packed delight. First, fresh, ripe blackberries. Second, a rustic pastry made with just butter, flour, salt, sugar and water.

Ingredients:

The Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup butter, cubed – cold 3 teaspoons cold water

Filling:

2-3 cups fresh blackberries

2 tablespoons sugar (plus more for the finishing sprinkles)

1 tablespoon corn starch 1-2 teaspoons butter, cubed into tiny pieces

To make the pastry:

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a small bowl or right on your work surface.

Make a well in the pastry and pour the cold butter cubes into the well.

Working with your hands, squish each piece of butter between your thumb and fingers to flatten them out. Work the butter pieces into the flour so you have a loose mix of flour and flat chunks of butter.

Make another well in this new mixture and add 3 tablespoons water. Using pinching motions, mix some of the flour/butter mixture into the water until a paste forms.

Now, work to incorporate that paste into the entirety of your flour/butter mixture. Use a pastry-scraper to keep your flour close to the pastry so you can work it in.

Work this mixture until it forms into a crumby dough. Press this mixture together into a flat disk. Wrap this disk in a piece of plastic wrap and set in a cool place (or the fridge) for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling, mix the corn starch and the sugar in a small bowl. Pour washed, partially dried blackberries into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle the cornstarch/sugar mixture in amongst the blackberries, turning gently with your hands.

Don’t use a spoon or you’ll squish the tender berries.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Roll the pastry into a disk 10-12 inches in diameter, taking care to dust your surface and the pastry with flour so it won’t stick to your work surface and/or your rolling pin. Place the pastry disk on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange the blackberries in the center of the pastry circle. Dot the berries with the small cubes of butter. Fold the edges of the pastry over the outer circumference of the berries.

Sprinkle with a bit more sugar so the pastry glistens just a little.

Bake at 350°F for about twenty minutes.

Cool slightly, then serve. Especially good with ice cream.