Stop by a Sacramento-area roadside stand, then make these mixed berry galettes

The Abridged version:

• Zoe Barrie’s mixed berry galettes are inspired by a summer dessert she made while working as a pantry chef in a farm-to-table restaurant.
• The recipe calls for blackberries, strawberries and/or blueberries, but cherries, nectarines and peaches will work as well.
• Plan ahead: This recipe takes about an hour-and-a-half to make, including 35-40 minutes of baking time.

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This is Cooking in Season, a biweekly series from local recipe developer Zoe Barrie using seasonal produce available at Sacramento-area farmers markets. 

Come late spring, the roadsides outside of the city begin to fill up with farm stands offering some of the best fruit around — strawberries, blackberries, peaches and cherries. It’s a perk of living in Northern California that I don’t take for granted.

While they’re available weekly at the farmers market, there’s something romantic in stopping to grab a flat of fruit, bringing it home and savoring it like a souvenir. The fruit is a treat on its own, but it also lends itself to some of the best versions of dessert.

While working as a garde manger (i.e., pantry chef), I was in charge of the salads and plating all desserts. One of the summer desserts was a personal-sized strawberry galette — essentially an easier version of pie, made with a single crust that folds over the filling.

While simple, it still felt elevated and highlighted the seasonal berries (plus, it unleashed my newfound love for galettes). This version leans into seasonal berries but uses a mix because having to pick just one is a task too hard.

Mixed berry galettes

Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

While written for berries, the fruit filling is very adaptable and can be made with your choice of seasonal fruit — just be sure to chop whatever fruit you use into bite-sized pieces (such as peaches, nectarines or cherries). If you end up with leftover galettes, they can be stored in a zip-top bag or container for up to 5 days and reheated in the oven until warm and crisp.

Ingredients

For the crust

1½ cups (206 g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon (1 g) kosher salt

¼ teaspoon (1 g) baking powder

½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (70 g) cold buttermilk

1 egg, beaten, for brushing

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional), for garnish

For the filling

1 pound fresh berries (such as blackberries, strawberries and/or blueberries)

Juice of 1 small lemon (about 2 tablespoons of juice)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour, smooshing each clump until no large pieces remain and the mixture looks crumbly and pale yellow.

Step 2

Using a fork, slowly stream in the buttermilk and mix just until large clumps start to form. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, bring it together into a rough mound, and fold it onto itself 2 to 3 times. Shape into a tight disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. The dough can also be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month.

Step 3

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine the berries (halving or quartering any larger pieces, like strawberries), lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, almond extract and salt. Gently toss until the cornstarch is evenly distributed and the fruit is well coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 5

Divide the dough into 4 rounds. On a floured surface and working one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out each round of dough into a rough 7-inch circle. Gently transfer each round to the prepared baking sheet. Leaving behind as much excess juice as possible, spoon a quarter of the fruit filling into the center of each round in an even layer, leaving a 1- to 2-inch border. Fold the excess dough over the fruit, pleating as you fold. The center should remain open.

Step 6

Brush the beaten egg onto the crust of each galette, then evenly sprinkle over the turbinado sugar, if using. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling and jammy. Serve warm as is or top with vanilla ice cream.

Zoe Barrie is the writer and recipe developer behind Cooking in Season, a biweekly column featuring recipes made from the Sacramento region’s seasonal produce. She runs the popular Substack page Restaurant Dropout and previously worked in Bay Area restaurants after graduating from culinary school.