Spring and Summer are my favorite seasons of the year; so many fruits and vegetables have there own spotlight for just a few weeks before they wilt away till next year. My childhood neighbor had big beautiful blueberry bushes in there backyard. The bushes must have been over 20 years old, and would produce the biggest blueberries ive ever seen. Gallon zip lock bags filled with berries cluttered their freezers. Out of jealousy I have my own blueberry bushes now, but they are still very young and produce only a few berries every season.
One classic dessert that comes to mind when I think of blueberries is a galette. What’s a galette you might ask; whats the difference between a galette and crostata? Well to answer your first question there are many different types of galettes, for example the galette des rois which is comprised of puff pastry, and frangipane (a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs, and sugar) with a charm called a feve hidden inside. The galette we are talking about is simply a free formed flat round pastry filled with savory, or sweet items like apples, berries, or cheeses and vegetables. Now as for the difference between a galette and a cristata *drum roll please* is just the name. That's right, one is french and the other is italian. As simple of an answer as that may sound, keep in mind that the french have many different versions of a galette, so do italians. For the sake of not boring you with a history lesson, lets just say they are the same thing. si?, Oui? You can use this recipe for any berry in season that bakes well. Blueberries are ideal because of their firmness and high amount of pectin. This recipe is definitely worth a try, and gives you an excuse to enjoy a blueberry pie like dessert before thanksgiving rolls around. Whole Wheat Blueberry Galette YIELDS: 10 servings TIME: 2 hrs Temp: 375F Filling Ingredients: 2 dry U.S pints or 1 lb. of fresh blueberries 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of cornstarch 2 oz granulated sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of salt Whole Wheat crust Ingredients: 7 oz all purpose flour 1.75 oz whole wheat flour Pinch of salt 7.23 oz cold unsalted butter 1.95 oz water 1 egg 1 tablespoon whole milk or cream Method for filling: Remove any stems left on blueberries, and wash. In a large bowl, combined blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt together and let set while you prepare crust. Method for crust: In a large bowl whisk together both flours and salt. Place the flour mixture in the fridge until ready to incorporate butter. Cut butter into ¼ inch cubes and toss into flour. Rub butter with the tips of your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add water and mix the dough until it comes together smoothly. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Flour your hands and work surface as needed, and press the dough into a ½ inch disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Letting the dough rest for an hour in the fridge allows the gluten in the dough to relax, and the butter to harden so that your dough rolls out nice, and is flakey. assemble: Preheat your oven to 375F. After refrigerating, roll the dough out onto a flour surface. Roll it into a 15 inch circle, and a ⅛ inch thick. Place crust onto a baking tray with parchment. Pile blueberries in the center of the dough, and fold the edges a ¼ over the blueberries (as seen in picture). In a small bowl whisk one egg with one tablespoon of milk to creat egg wash. Brush egg wash over the edges of galette. Bake the galette for 40-45 mins or until crust is golden brown, and blueberries are bubbling. Serv warm and with a LARGE scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.