lemon rhubarb galette
/I feel so fancy!
I made a galette!
Are you ready for a lot of photos and an explanation of three recipe trials? [That was your warning!]
First, let’s chat about rhubarb.
My cousin’s cousin’s wife [can we just call her my cousin?] gave me a grocery bag FULL of rhubarb from her yard. It randomly grows in three large patches in her backyard. I had never cooked with or eaten rhubarb before last week.
And now I’m obsessed. This vegetable has always scared me. I mean look at it.
Yes, it is a vegetable! The fading red to green stalks have nothing to do with ripeness. There are just a few different varieties with varying color.
If I had to describe the taste, I would say it falls somewhere in between strawberries + cranberries after cooking with honey or sugar. Biting into it raw has a juicy crunch with a fruity but sour flavor.
Interesting little stalks these are.
I’ve wanted to make a galette for some time now. It may just be because of the fun name. It’s basically like pie crust that you don’t put into a pie pan. You roll it out, put the toppings in the center, and then fold over the edges.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Wrong.
Say hello to trial number 1-
- crust – oat flour, almond meal, coconut oil, honey, lemon zest, salt
- The crust needed a bit more flour.
- filling – rhubarb, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, tapioca starch, vanilla, and salt
- The honey and lemon juice created way too much liquid.
After 10 minutes in the oven, this was oozing with honey + rhubarb. As terrible as this looks, I ate half of it while trial two was in the oven. No shame.
The second dough was a bit more crumbly, so I decided to press it into muffin pan molds.
They look so cute, right?
Wrong.
Say hello to trial number 2-
- crust – buckwheat flour, almond meal, sweet rich flour, coconut oil, honey, lemon zest, salt
- dry + crumbly – the buckwheat flavor was too strong – gritty in texture
- filling – rhubarb, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, tapioca starch, vanilla, and salt
- The honey + lemon juice mixture from trial 1 actually worked fine in the little cups. Although the rhubarb looks dried out, it wasn’t at all.
These were too crumbly and the buckwheat flour flavor was overpowering.
Well, after 3 trials I think I got it!
If you’re afraid of making fancy pie crusts this recipe has your name all over it. You don’t need a perfect circle or smooth edges.
It’s meant to look rustic!
Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
So there was a little oozing juice but not enough to cause any harm. Just break it off + move on. Seriously!
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for this crust!
It has a slight crumble with a soft buttery texture but stays crisp around the edges. There is a light sweetness to the crust with a hint of lemon. The filling has a lightly sweetened but tart flavor with a kick of lemon and a hint of ginger. The mixture thickened nicely and the rhubarb softened just as I hoped.
The best part is you can make it free-form like I did or press it into a muffin tin or tart pan.
And then top it with vanilla bean ice cream + pecans.
It begs for vanilla bean ice cream.
I made a galette! I made a galette!
And now you can too!
Lemon Rhubarb Galette
serves 4-6
Lemon Rhubarb Filling
- 1 1/4 cup rhubarb, chopped 1/2” pieces
- 1/4 cup sucanat
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 Tablespoon raw honey
- 1.5 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon zested ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- In a bowl, mix together the sucanat, starch, honey, zest, ginger, and salt until combined.
- Add in the rhubarb + stir.
- Add to the crust in step 11 below.
notes: Pure cane sugar can be substituted for sucanat. Pure maple syrup can be subbed instead of honey to make this vegan. Arrowroot or cornstarch can be used instead of tapioca.
Almond Meal + Oat Crust [inspired by My New Roots, Plum Yummy Galette]
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
- 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, cold
- 1.5 Tablespoons raw honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- parchment paper
- Preheat your oven to 375*.
- Make sure your coconut oil is cold by measuring it and then placing in the freezer for about 15min.
- In your food processor pulse the almond meal, oat flour, and salt until combined.
- Add in the cold coconut oil and turn on for about 15-30 seconds, until the coconut oil starts to break down and combine.
- Add in the honey + lemon zest and pulse until combined and the mixture starts to come together. [refer to first photograph] The mixture should easily hold together when pressed between your hands.
- Remove all of the dough and on a floured surface [use oat flour] kneed just a few times to form a ball and then flatten slightly [about 1” thick] and shape into a disc.
- Wrap tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until well chilled.
- Remove from the fridge, and flour your parchment paper and the top of the dough.
- Roll out into a circle [doesn’t have to be perfect] until the dough is about 1/8” thick all around. You want to work quickly so the dough doesn’t become too warm. If the edges split a bit it’s okay.
- Place the filling in the middle, leaving about a 2 inch ring around the outside. [refer to photo 7]
- Fold the edges up over the filling in 4-5 increments. Gently pinch together as you fold each side up. You want to leave about a 4” opening in the center. [refer to photo 8]
- Move to a large baking sheet with the parchment paper underneath and bake for 30min on the center rack. The edges should be a dark golden brown and the top should be a lighter golden brown.
- Let fully cool before slicing with a large, sharp knife. Carefully transfer to a plate with a thin spatula. Store in the fridge.
notes: Easily made vegan by subbing pure maple syrup instead of honey. The dough shouldn’t be too dry, but if it’s crumbly and not holding together when you press it between your hands, add 1Tbs ice cold water to the mixture and pulse around a few more times. Add another Tbs if needed. If it’s too oily + soft, add 1Tbs at a time more oat flour and pulse. Cold butter can most likely be subbed for the coconut oil. Almond meal is simply made by grinding raw almonds [unroasted/unsalted] into a flour. Oat flour can be made by grinding certified gluten free rolled oats, steel cut oats, or oat grounds into a fine flour.
More rhubarb recipes coming soon. Have no fear.
You can find my first rhubarb recipe over at SHFT.com. I made a Lemon Rhubarb Compote that I’ve been spreading on everything!
Ashley
