StrawbGalette the Palavas

A simple freehand galette with a sweet and juicy strawberry center. It’s very simple to make and forgiving yet satisfying to eat, be it on its own or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, vegan custard or vegan coconut yogurt.

It’s one of the simplest desserts to make and it screams summer with its juicy strawberry centre. It’s perfect for any impromptu summer gatherings so if you find yourself invited to one of these, remember that this vegan strawberry galette has your back! Enjoy!

Pastry

🍓 150 g / slightly heaped 1¼ cups wholemeal spelt flour
🍓 25 g / 2 tbsp caster sugar (or coconut sugar)
🍓 ¼ tsp salt
🍓 ¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
🍓 75 g / 1/3 cup solid (not melted!) refined coconut oil or vegan butter
🍓 60 g / ¼ cup thick vegan yogurt*
🍓 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or other acid)
🍓 1 tsp plant milk + 1 tsp maple syrup, to glaze

Filling

🍰 25 g / 2 tbsp caster sugar (or coconut sugar)
🍰 12 g / 1½ tbsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
🍰 500 g / 18 oz fresh strawberries
🍰 zest of 1 lemon + squeeze of juice

Pastry

🍓 1. Place flour, sugar, salt and cardamom (optional) in a medium size bowl. Mix well.

🍓 2. Add chopped (solid) coconut oil and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or two knifes. You can also use a food processor to do this.

🍓 3. Once the mixture is uniform and there are no large lumps left (to check, shake the bowl lightly, they will come to the surface), rub the small bits of oil into the flour with your fingers until there are no lumps left.

🍓 4. Add yogurt and vinegar and mix it into the dough with a spoon, then use your hands to gently bring the dough together, but do not knead. If the dough is too dry to bring together, you may need to add a touch of water, but add it very carefully and gradually, teaspoon by teaspoon. Rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Filling

🍰 5. Wash and stem your strawberries. Cut them into 3-4 slices vertically.

🍰 6. Just before filling the galette, stir 3 tsp of tapioca starch, 4 tsp of sugar and lemon zest through the strawberries.

Assembly

🍓 7. Heat up your oven to 180° C / 355° F oven with a pizza stone inside, if you have one. Otherwise you could use a robust metal tray.

🍓 8. Place a large piece of baking paper on the counter, sprinkle it with flour and place chilled pastry on top. Whack it with a rolling pin a few times to flatten. If the dough is too tough (coconut oil hardens a lot in the cold) allow the dough to sit on the counter for a bit before rolling out.

🍓 9. Slowly and gently roll the dough out into a rough circle, on a large piece of baking paper.

🍓 10. Sprinkle 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of tapioca starch in the middle of the rolled pastry leaving a thick margin all around.

🍓 11. Heap sliced strawberries on top of the sugar and squeeze lemon juice over them (up to ½ lemon).

🍓 12. Gently fold the excess pastry over the filling – you can use baking paper underneath to make this easier. Combine 1 tsp of plant milk with 1 tsp of maple syrup to create a glaze and brush the exposed pastry with it.

🍓 13. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the pastry has browned nicely and the filling is bubbly. Don’t worry if the juices leak, it can happen even if there is the smallest crack in the pastry shell.

🍓 14. Allow the galette to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Serve on its own or with a dollop of vegan cream or ice cream. It’s the kind of dessert that is best eaten fresh as it will get soggy over time.


*You can safely skip this ingredient and use fridge-cold water – just enough to bring the pastry together and be sure to add it gradually.