As we move into spring and summer, I anticipate more guests and more entertaining. I like to mix up this dough in the food processor and have some in the freezer or refrigerator just in case! I use my flour, Help Yourself — It’s Gluten-Free!, but the dough could be made with another gluten-free flour as well. My flour is available locally at Sierra Acupuncture in Carson City or at the Great Basin Co-op in Reno.
This is a lovely dough to wrap around leftovers or fruit. I have adapted this gluten-free version from a Julia Child recipe, which makes it a reliable and delicious go-to when friends turn up.
The version in the picture is a dessert galette, with the first rhubarb from my garden and some tangy dried cherries. I have also had great success with savory fillings such as mashed potatoes, smoked fish and leeks or tomatoes, sausage and cheese. Another favorite is baked mashed sweet potato with shallots and sage.
Later in the summer, I fill the dough with raspberries and/or blackberries, or any other fruit that’s plentiful. You get the idea! It’s hard to go wrong with the filling, and the pastry itself has a wonderful flavor. And for those of us who have to avoid gluten, good pastry is an incredible treat.
Galette Dough
Ingredients
(I have made this dough successfully with non-dairy sour cream and Earth Balance margarine for a dairy-free version).
3 tablespoons sour cream or yoghurt
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup Help Yourself — It’s Gluten-Free! Basic Flour Mix
1/4 cup corn flour or finely ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
7 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 egg and 1 teaspoon water (egg wash for browning)
Directions
Mix the sour cream and ice water together in a bowl and set it aside. In a larger bowl, mix the flour, corn flour, sugar, salt and xanthan gum. Blend in the butter with a pastry cutter until the dough has clumps the size of a pea or smaller.
Stir in the sour cream/water mixture until the dough forms soft lumps. With gluten-free-floured hands, divide the dough in half and store each half in a gluten-free-floured plastic wrap for two hours, or as long as two days.
When you are ready to prepare the galette, remove dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for about 15 minutes before rolling. If it’s crumbly, wait a few more minutes for it to warm to room temperature for smoother rolling.
Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Flour some parchment paper for each ball of dough you’re using. Roll the dough into a circle that’s about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Fill with your chosen filling, fold/wrap the edges a flap at a time over the filling (some are left exposed in the middle) for a pleated effect.
Dust some of the flour off of the parchment paper and slide the paper, with the galette, onto a baking sheet. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Each galette serves 2 to 4. They can also be made into individual sizes if you prefer.
Rhubarb-Sour Cherry Filling
Ingredients
2 cups diced rhubarb stalks
1/2 cup dried Montmorency cherries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon. It’s Gluten-Free! Basic Flour Mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Mix the sugar and flour together in a small bowl. Place the fruit in a medium bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and stir in the sugar/flour mixture. Let this sit for 15 minutes to an hour before you fill the pastry with it. Dot the filling with the butter, wrap the edges of the dough over the filling. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake as above.
I hope you enjoy the galette as much as I do. Bon Appetit!
Susan Hart has been cooking gluten-free for 17 years. She can be reached at glutenfree.hart@gmail.com.