Blueberry Season Is Here!
Each year, seeing the delicious blues arrive at the Farmers Markets and in stores brings a sense of excitement and happiness, a promise of summer joys, and fond memories of wild blueberry picking way back when (well not so way perhaps... :)).
A mesmerizing sea of blueberries at the Union Square Greenmarket
There are obviously a lot of ways to celebrate them and other summer fruits but one that never fails to please and impress is a good galette, or crostata. Galettes are a versatile medium, fairly easy to make, and a little less fussy than tarts since they are freeform. However it is important to get a pliant dough so that they can be shaped well.
The dough is typically a slightly sweetened pate brisee, and it is relatively easy to make with a little care using regularly flours such as wheat based flours or other gluten-containing flours. Obtaining a good pate brisee can be a little trickier with gluten-free flours, with the wrong choice of flours. So I was quite happy to, one day, come up with a combination that worked right away: oat flour, tapioca flour, sweet rice flour and almond flour. The resulting dough was easy to shape, held its form and was beautifully flaky once cooked.
I also took advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs at the market, and in particular lemon verbena, a fave, to add a little fragrance to the galette. The lemon verbena-blueberry combination is one that never gets old, and brings the full flavors of Summer to each bite. Just a few leaves fresh or dried, crushed and mixed with the blueberries before spreading over the dough are enough to accent the galette. And here is the galette, right out of the oven, buttery and fresh at the same time, and a lovely celebration of Summer flavors. Enjoy! :)
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
3/4c oat flour
1 c tapioca flour
1/2c sweet rice flour (brown rice works too)
1/2c almond flour
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp cold maple syrup (cold is important!)
a little ice cold water (only if need be - see steps below)
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch baking powder
2 sticks butter, cold (very important!) and cut in small pieces
For the filling:
1 pint blueberries (more or less)
a few crushed lemon verbena leaves
a couple tbsp almond meal
a couple tbsp coconut sugar
For the finish:
1 egg + a little water or milk as you wish
A little more almond meal and coconut sugar
STEPS
1. In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients and the butter until coarse crumbs form.
2. Add the cold maple syrup and keep processing until a ball of dough forms and detaches from the processor bowl. If necessary, add a little ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hr. (Also important, be patient! :))
4. While the dough chills (literally :D), mix the blueberries, sugar, almond meal and lemon verbena.
5. Once rested, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit so it is easier to roll. Roll it out to a 1/8 inch thick disc, and spread the blueberry mix from the center to about 1.5 inches away from the rim.
6. Fold in the rim of the dough back towards the center. Make a wash by mixing the egg and 2 tbsp water and brush the rim of the galette with the wash. Sprinkle the galette with coconut sugar and almond meal. Add a lemon verbena leaf or two in the center for decoration.
7. Bake at 375degF until the dough is nice and golden (about 30-35' - check depending on your oven).
8. Enjoy! :)
By the way:
- You can substitute other fruits to the blueberries for this recipe, and play with other nutmeals.
- If you do not have fresh blueberries on hand, not to worry: you can use frozen fruits! Make sure to defrost well and remove juices if necessary.
- This galette is gluten-free and refined sugar free, but will make all eaters happy! :)
