May to June are the perfect months for strawberries - at that time they are wonderfully juicy and sweet if you get them from your local strawberry field or farmer's market. On my opinion, there is no need to get strawberries when they are not in season. First because their taste is simply not that good and secondly because of their ecological footprint if you buy them in the winter time and they arrive from far, far away. It is definitely worth the wait and then you can enjoy the strawberry's taste to the fullest.
If you research a little bit around your neighbourhood or outside of the city centre, you can find a lot of strawberry fields where you can either pick your own strawberries or buy already picked ones - however for the double price. So, picking your own strawberries is not only cheaper but just so much fun and they simply taste better knowing you picked them yourself.
This recipe of a strawberry galette is so delicious during summer time. So easy to make with simple ingredients you always have at home. If you want to make it vegan, simply exchange the butter for vegan butter or margarine and the egg for plant-based milk.
For 1 large galette you will need:
200g plain flour
50g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling
pinch of salt
120g cold, diced butter (or vegan butter)
60ml ice-cold water
1 small, beaten egg or 2 tbsp of plant based milk
450-500g strawberries
30g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste or essence or vanilla sugar
1 handful of basil leafs
Start to mix the flour, caster sugar and salt together. Then add the cold butter in diced pieces and knead everything with your hands. When the dough has a crumbly consistency add the ice-cold water and knead together again. The dough should form a ball-form now which is a little sticky. Wrap it into cling film and flatten it out, so it is not a dough ball anymore. Leave it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.
In the meantime cut the strawberries into quarters or thin slices. Put them into a bowl and add the 30g of caster sugar and vanilla paste, combine everything and set it aside.
Once the dough has rested enough, turn on the oven at 180°C. Take the dough and roll it out on floured baking paper. Try to roll it out in an evenly round circle. It should have a diameter of around 30-35cm. If you want to have nice and even edges, you can trimm them off or leave them roughly like they are. With the rolling pin help yourself to place the dough circle onto a baking tray. Then take the strawberry compote (try to get as little liquid as possible) and place the strawberries into the middle of the dough, letting around 4-6cm free of the strawberries on the edges. Do not get rid of the leftover syrup. Take the sides and start to fold one side after the other in, making sure that the dough is not too thin and nothing is leaking. Last but not least, brush the dough sides with the beaten egg or plant-based milk and sprinkle it with extra caster sugar. Place the galette into the oven for around 25 minutes until the dough is baked through. Take it out of the oven, let it slightly cool down and decorate with the fresh basil leaves. When serving, pour a little bit of the leftover syrup over the galette - it will be delicious!
Tip: A great and unique combination for strawberries is black pepper. If you like pepper, sprinkle some freshly ground pepper over the galette after baking - it is delicious.
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