Market to Table: Rhubarb and Cherry Galette with Honeyed Ginger, St. Germain, and Pineapple Sage

One of our goals this spring is not only to buy more fresh, local produce but also to USE it inventively in our cooking. Last Sunday’s farmer’s market haul included five stalks of lovely spring rhubarb. The kids have never had rhubarb before. So, I decided to come up with a way of introducing them to this vegetable by presenting it as a “vegetable-in-fruit’s-clothing,” so to speak. Giving this “spring fruit” a bit of Parisian flair [and, I have a friend traveling in Paris, this month; so, this is also a tribute to her], I decided on a galette. And, I chose to add some cherries to the mix [although any fruit will do], because I came across a magical stash of frozen ones from last season down in the basement. [By the way, the President’s Choice Sweet Dark Cherries from the frozen fruit aisle would be a great swap-out here!] The kids also have this amazing appreciation of ginger, at least when prepared with sweets, and so I thought I’d include that as a honey candied glaze on top. And, well, “for the love of Elderflower,” which should be a saying of its own, I “Parised” it up a notch and added some St. Germain. Finally, for one last crazy kick, we diced up some of the pineapple sage leaves that we just added to our container garden to use as a very tasty garnish!  The results: AMAZING!!  Enjoy, or, Bon Appétit!!

Print Recipe

Rhubarb and Cherry Galette with Honeyed Ginger, St. Germain and Pineapple Sage

Author: Roseanne Carrara, The Lunchbox Season

Ingredients

Galette Pastry

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 2 tbs sugar
• .5 tsp salt
• 10 tbs [1 1/4 sticks] cold unsalted butter cut into tbs cubes
• 2 tbs cold shortening [or more butter] cut into tbs cubes
• .25 c [max] ice water

Honeyed Ginger for Galettes [optional]

• 1 1/2 - 2 inch knob of peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tbs honey

Galette Filling

• 3/4 c white or whisked brown sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 c of 1/4-in diced fresh rhubarb [about 5 stalks, all leaves removed]
• 2  c of pitted sweet cherries sliced [or 2 c any fruit, sliced similarly to the rhubarb, or small berries]

Galette Topping [with the Honeyed Ginger, above]

• 1-2 tbs St. Germain [optional]
• 1-2 tbs unsalted butter [optional]
• Pineapple Sage or other sweet herb such as lavender [optional]

Instructions

Galette Pastry

• Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.
• Pulse to combine.
• In batches, drop in cubes of butter and shortening and pulse just a few times until pieces are pea-sized.
• Gradually add 3 tbs water, pulsing on and off, until dough is just moistened evenly.
• If necessary, add more water by the half tbs, pulsing, to achieve consistency.
• Dough should stick together when pinched, but it will not come together on its own until you work it on the counter.
• Scrape dough onto a work surface and form into a disk.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Honeyed Ginger for Galettes [optional]

• Dice ginger into very small cubes so that you have 1.5-2 tbs fine dice
• Heat honey in a glass bowl over water until bubbling or for about 30-35 seconds in the microwave
• Add ginger and stir over heat for about 30 seconds or reheat in the microwave for about 10-12 seconds.
• Soak ginger in honey for at least 1 hour [while dough is refrigerating].

Galette Filling

• Whisk sugar and flour in a bowl to combine.
• Add rhubarb and stir to coat.
• Allow rhubarb mixture to macerate for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Just before filling your galette, mix cherries [or other fruit option] into macerated rhubarb, stirring just to combine.
• With a slotted spoon, or, after straining well, spoon the mixture onto the center of the pastry.

Galette Construction and Baking

• Heat oven to 400, making sure a rack is in a centered position.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Between two sheets of parchment, wax paper, or plastic wrap, or working on a well floured surface, roll the dough into a large 1/8-in thick circle, of about 13 inches in diameter.
• Transfer dough to the lined baking sheet, and place back in the refrigerator if you're not ready to work.
• Using a pot lid or a circle of extra parchment as a template, trace a nine inch circle with the dull end of a untensil in the center of your dough.
• With a slotted spoon, or, after straining well, spoon the fruit mixture onto the center of the pastry.
• Lift the dough border back onto the rhubarb, "pleating" the dough to your liking, every few inches.
• If desired, refrigerate for 15 minutes before proceeding.
• Gently spoon the St. Germain over the top of the fruit within the galette.
• Dot pea-sized bits of butter over the top of the fruit within the galette.
• Bake for 36-38 minutes.
• Just before this cooking period has passed, reheat the honey ginger mixure in a double boiler or in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
• Remove the galette from the oven, keeping it on its tray.
• Brush about half the heated honey from the honey ginger mixture over the crust of the galette.
• Spoon a few ginger bits on the crust.
• Spoon the rest of the honey and the ginger bits over the fruit.
• Return the galette to the oven for 2-3 minutes.
• Remove galette from oven and shimmy it on its parchment to a cooling rack or flat surface.
• Cool the galette as much as possible before serving so that the juices thicken up a bit.
• [Don't worry if there's an overflow juice on the side of the parchment. It likely hasn't permeated below the crust.]
• Just before serving, sprinkle finely diced pineapple sage [dried lavendar flowers or other herbs] over the galette.