I am a proud ‘card carrying member’ of the Rustic Casual baking genre, and this rustic strawberry lemon galette perfectly showcases that style of baking.
Rustic Casual means the focus is on the flavors, textures, and overall taste of whatever you’re baking, instead of focusing on the decorations. That aesthetic appeals to me on a number of levels, mostly because I don’t have the patience for overly elaborate decorations, and I follow and adore other bakers and chefs who allow the flavors and end result of their food rule their decisions. Not fondant, not sprinkles, not piles and piles of frosting, no frills, and very little glitz. Just the best way to showcase the flavors and textures and the experience of eating delicious and satisfying baked goods.
This style of baking seems so much more approachable, and it still looks amazing, even without all the frills! Plus, it doesn’t take hours of tedious decorating to call it done. I’m sure every French Pastry chef, cookie decorator, or Fancy Decorated Cake Maker is groaning at that statement, and I agree there is always a time and a place for the fancy and tedious, just not when you find ZERO pleasure in all the tiny decorating details like me. I can do all that stuff, I just don’t want to. Join me in my rebelion against the time stealing decorating!
Rustic Casual isn’t a blanket term for ‘Easy’ or ‘Boring’, it just means more time is spent on the content than on the excess of frills or accents. Think ‘naked cake,’ or a pie that has its juices bubbling out with abandon, undecorated cookies and biscuits busting with flavor, Bundt Cakes topped with delicious glazes and fillings, or this simple and rustically elegant galette.
This galette is fairly easy and very straight forward, and it ends up baking up nice and golden with the roasted strawberries and cheesecake filling making a perfect rustic treat. Then, to make it even more delicious, top it with some fresh strawberries and cream for a delectable dessert worthy of all the effort.
Rustic Casual Strawberry Lemon Galette with Cheesecake Filling
Notes
You’ll need:
- Stand mixer, with a paddle attachment
- parchment paper, plastic wrap
- 12 x 17 baking sheet with sides
- Large mixing bowl, 2 medium bowls, small bowl
- hand mixer for whipped cream
- zester
- piping bag (optional)
- Rolling pin
- (if you don’t want to make the dough from scratch, you could use store-bought roll of dough, but it could flop open in the baking process)
Ingredients
- Crust:
- • 1¾ cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour
- • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces.
- • 2 large egg yolks, cold
- • 3 tablespoons whole milk
- Fruit filling:
- • 1 lb. (456 g) Fresh strawberries (weight before hulling and slicing)
- • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- • 3 tbs corn starch
- • Pinch of kosher salt
- • Zest of 1 lemon
- Cheesecake:
- • 8 oz (250g) cream cheese
- • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- • 1 egg
- • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- • zest of 1 lemon
- Topping:
- • 1 lb. (456 g) Fresh strawberries (weight before hulling and slicing)
- • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- • Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- • 1 cup (251 g) heavy whipping cream
- • ¼ cup (25 g) powdered sugar
- For construction:
- • 1 egg with 1 tsp water
- • Pearl sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- To the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Add the butter pieces into the flour and briefly pulse the mixer on the lowest speed until the butter is coated with flour.
- Turn the mixer on low speed and leave it running until the dough is combined about halfway (some big chunks will still be visible) about 30 to 45 seconds. There should be plenty of small pea-sized butter chunks. The dough should begin to hold its shape when squeezed together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended, about 10 seconds. Add the egg-milk mixture to the flour mixture into the flour/butter mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough just barely comes together and looks shaggy, about 30 to 45 seconds.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean countertop (or silicon mat), then gather it together into one cohesive mound. There should be small chunks of butter visible within the dough, and the butter should still be cold. Using your palm, start at one side of the mound and smear the dough bit by bit, beginning at the top and then smashing with your palm down the side and along the work surface, pushing the dough into your work surface. This is a technique known in French as fraisage. When finished, you should have no more loose flour, though the dough may still look a little shaggy.
- While your pie dough is chilling, make your cheesecake filling.
- In a clean bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the softened cream cheese and sugar and mix until smooth, scraping multiple times, until blended and there are no clumps.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest, and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Set aside, or scoop into a piping bag for when you’re ready to add it to your rolled-out dough.
- Hull and slice your strawberries. Half is for the baked filling; the other half is for the fresh topping. Keep them in two different bowls, set them aside.
- On a sheet of plastic wrap place the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc about 1 inch thick, and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap, ensuring that it is airtight. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours or ideally overnight. (you can make this ahead and keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen pie die in the refrigerator before using it)
- After your dough is nice and chilled, you have your cheesecake filling prepared, and your strawberries have been prepped, roll out your dough into a flat circle about 14 inches in diameter, keeping the shape of the circle as you roll.
- Transfer your rolled-out pie dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides big enough to lay flat (12 x 17 works well, or larger if you have it)
- Once your dough is rolled out, pipe the cheesecake in a circle in the very middle, leaving at least 3 inches around the edge without any cheesecake filling.
- In a small bowl, zest 1 lemon into ½ cup of granulated sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant and well-mixed. Add a pinch of salt and 3 tbs of cornstarch and mix well until the cornstarch is not visible.
- Take one of the bowls of fresh strawberries (1 lb., hulled and sliced), and toss with the sugar/lemon zest/salt/corn starch mixture. Let stand for a couple of minutes until the sugar starts to vanish and a little bit of juice starts to appear. (mixing occasionally)
- After tossing the strawberries with the lemon sugar mixture and a little bit of juice has appeared, carefully scoop and place all of these strawberries on top of the cheesecake mixture, keeping the 4 inches of dough free of any fruit or cheesecake filling.
- Pick up the edge of the dough and carefully fold the sides of the pastry all around the filling, creating pleats as you go.
- Pinch any pleats/creases together and brush with the egg wash created by mixing one egg and 1 tsp of water.
- Sprinkle pearl sugar liberally on top of the egg wash, just on the crust.
- Place the tray with the uncooked galette in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, and arrange one rack in the middle of the oven.
- Take the sheet/galette out of the fridge and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, until golden.
- When it’s nice and golden and you see juice and bubbles in the middle, remove the galette from the oven and set the tray on a rack to cool.
- While it’s cooling, in the other bowl of fresh, hulled, and prepped sliced strawberries, add ½ cup of sugar and zest of 1 lemon (optional), and mix until strawberries are coated. Set aside to macerate until juices form.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. (do not over whip)
- Once the galette is cooled and set, cut, and serve with the added fresh strawberries and dollop with whipped cream. ENJOY!
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