Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
Today, I’ll show you how to make a homemade strawberry rhubarb galette with sweet, juicy strawberries and rhubarb nestled into a buttery crust. This rustic strawberry galette doesn’t require fancy pastry skills, and I have a foolproof method for rolling out the crust.
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Table of Contents
What is a galette?
A galette is a tart that’s baked flat on a sheet pan. The filling is mounded in the center, and the crust is folded over the sides of the filling and baked.
Unlike a fruit pie, there’s no “top crust,” and the filling is open, giving diners a glimpse of what’s inside.
Also known as crostata, galettes are the “less prissy cousins” of fancy-formed tarts and pies. That’s why we love ’em.
This easy strawberry galette recipe is one of our favorite free form tarts.
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Since rhubarb doesn’t grow in Florida, I can only get this fun ingredient intermittently, and when I do, I FIND ways to use it. Like this rhubarb simple syrup that makes the best gin rickeys. Or this strawberry rhubarb pie.
Why this recipe works:
- It’s delicious. With a sweet-tart fruit filling and flaky buttery crust.
- It’s a free-form tart, so you don’t have to fuss with pie plates or fancy lattice work.
- The homemade pastry is made in the food processor and is very easy (and forgiving) to work with.
- A special ingredient gives the strawberry rhubarb filling the perfect set without running all over the baking sheet.
- The recipe makes four strawberry galettes, each enough for two people.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen.
- This strawberry rhubarb galette is an excellent recipe for the novice baker, no special skills are required.
Ingredients:
- Fresh Strawberries – Use ripe berries for the sweetest flavor.
- Fresh Rhubarb – Avoid rhubarb that looks wilted and look for firm stalks. The color of the stalks doesn’t impact the taste.
- Instant ClearJel – My secret ingredient for thickening fruit fillings – read more about it below. {affiliate link}
- All Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt – I use kosher salt
- Cold Unsalted Butter – cut into ¼” cubes. Using very cold butter is critical to a flaky crust, so if you need to refrigerate the cubed butter again after cutting it, do so.
- Cold Water – another trick to keeping the pastry cold while forming it. I use ice water.
- Egg – (for egg wash) this makes the crust golden brown and gives it a shimmer.
- Sparkling Sugar – or turbinado sugar (optional)I like to sprinkle sparkling sugar over the egg wash for a bit of shimmer and texture.
Thickening fruit juices
Soggy crusts are a common complaint when making fruity desserts. Fruits like strawberries contain a lot of juice which can leak into the crust.
Instant ClearJel is a game changer for fruit tarts and pies like this strawberry galette.
I like it better than cornstarch for fruit fillings because it doesn’t need to be heated first, and unlike cornstarch which can give a cloudy look to fruit fillings, the Instant ClearJel thickens the juices without any opaqueness.
If you don’t have ClearJel, you can use cornstarch, but it won’t give you the same glossy finish.
How to use ClearJel
- The key is to whisk the ClearJel with the sugar before mixing it with the strawberries and rhubarb. Otherwise, it will clump.
- Add the cut fruit to a large bowl, sprinkle the ClearJel mixture, and toss to coat.
- The fruit should rest for several minutes so that the thickener can activate.
The Instant Clear Jel transforms the macerated fruit juice into a glistening glaze perfect for pies, tarts and galettes.
As with any pie or tart recipe, the crust is one of the main components.
I have an easy and foolproof method for assembling the dough in the food processor (easy) and rolling it out so it doesn’t stick to the countertop (foolproof).
How to make pastry for the strawberry rhubarb galette:
- Add the flour, two tablespoons of sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
- Add ice-cold butter that’s been cut into cubes and pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (with some larger chunks is ok)
- Add ice water a few spoonfuls at a time until the pastry starts to hold together. Do not over process.
- Cut the pastry into four equal portions and lightly form them into one disks.
- Wrap each pastry disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Unwrap one pastry disc and place it in the center of the plastic wrap. Cut another large piece of plastic and put it on the dough.
- Roll the pastry into a ¼” round. Turn the dough about 90° after every few rolls and lift the plastic wrap so it doesn’t stick to the dough and get overworked too much.
- Refrigerate the rolled out dough while you continue with the other 3 discs of homemade pastry.
The plastic wrap helps with two things:
- First, it allows you to roll the dough fairly thin without adding excess flour to the pastry, which can make it tough.
- Second, it won’t stick to your surface making cleanup easier.
Pro-Tips
If you’re feeding a group, you can make one large strawberry galette or multiple smaller ones. I made smaller individual tarts because only two of us were in the house, and we didn’t need that much. Besides, fruit galettes freeze well, so there’s a dessert for another day.
How to assemble strawberry galettes:
- paper-linedLay a piece of chilled pastry on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Mound ¼ of the strawberry rhubarb mixture into the center of the tart, leaving about a 1½-2-inch border.
- Carefully fold up the edges of the pastry around the fruit filling.
- Brush the homemade pastry with an egg wash.
- Sprinkle the whole strawberry rhubarb tart with sparkling sugar.
- Bake in a hot oven until golden brown and bubbly.
Swaps and Variations:
- You can make a plain strawberry galette if you can’t find rhubarb.
- Add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to the strawberry rhubarb mixture to add a bright flavor.
- Use other fruits like raspberries, blueberries or blackberries (here’s my mixed berry galette recipe).
- Try with peaches, nectarines, apricots or other stone fruit.
- Use apples or pears. (Note: fruit that’s less juicy won’t need as much ClearJel thickener).
- For a plain rhubarb galette, add about 1/4 cup more sugar (it tends to be tart).
FAQ’s
Yes. Galette dough, crostata dough and pie dough are generally the same basic recipe. The best and flakiest crusts use plenty of cold butter, have had a good rest in the refrigerator and don’t get over-worked when rolling them out.
Soggy crusts come from a very wet filling. Strawberries and other fruits are filled with juices. To combat a soggy crust, I recommend using Instant ClearJel which sucks up the juice like a chamois and transforms it into a delicious fruit filling.
Some people add a thin layer of semolina flour or even crushed almond meal in the bottom of a galette as a barrier to excess runniness from the fruit filling. It’s not needed with this recipe, thanks to the Instant ClearJel.
You can make the pastry the night before and keep it refrigerated. The fruit filling should be assembled the day of for the best results.
Yes. Thaw one sheet of puff pastry in the refrigerator, roll it out and trim edges to form a circle (if you want to). Fill the center of the galette with the strawberry rhubarb filling and fold the edges of the crusts over the filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 425°.
Technically, yes. Frozen fruit works in this recipe and can be used without thawing, but it may require a few more minutes in the oven to bake. For a strawberry galette, I think fresh berries are better. They’re firmer and more flavorful.
How to serve galettes:
The filling is super hot, so let the strawberry rhubarb galette cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before serving.
Serve this perfect Spring or Summer dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a squirt of whipped cream or a drizzle of heavy cream.
Storage and freezing
Wrap leftover strawberry rhubarb tarts in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300° oven for about 10 minutes.
To freeze strawberry galettes, cool them to room temperature, wrap them in foil and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
More pie and tart recipes you’ll love:
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Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks, cubed
- 3-5 tablespoons ice water or more as needed
- 1 ¾ pounds strawberries halved or quartered depending on their size
- ¾ pound rhubarb sliced into 1″ pieces
- 2 tablespoons Instant Clear Jel
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar and salt.
- Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons ice water until the dough just starts to come together. (Test the texture by pinching the dough between your fingers. If it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough is crumbly, add water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough holds together.)
- Transfer dough to a floured work area and form it into a ball. Cut into fourths.
- Form each quarter into flat discs and wrap them individually in cellophane. Refrigerate dough for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar and Instant Clear Jel until they’re well combined.
- Cut the fruit into bite sized pieces and toss the rhubarb and berries in a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the fruit and toss until well combined. Let the fruit rest for 10 minutes.
- Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Unwrap one disc of pastry and place it in the center of the plastic wrap. Cut another large piece of plastic and place it on top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry out into a ¼” round. Turn the dough about 90° after each few rolls and lift the plastic wrap so that it doesn’t stick to the dough and get overworked too much.
- Refrigerate the rolled out dough while you continue rolling out the other 3 discs of homemade pastry.
- To form the tarts, transfer dough to a lipped baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mound a quarter of the fruit filling into the center of the dough and fold the edges over the fruit, pleating as you go. Repeat for additional pastry discs and fruit.
- Refrigerate crostatas for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. With a pastry brush, lightly sweep egg wash over the pastry and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Can be served warm or at room temperature.
- To freeze for later, wrap the room temperature tarts in aluminum foil and freeze individually on a flat baking sheet. Transfer frozen strawberry rhubarb tarts to a zip top freezer bag. Keeps well for up to 2 months. To reheat: Thaw the tarts and reheat them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes in a 300° oven.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
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Galettes are just the most perfect easy summer dessert… This is so pretty!
Lisa, I love the detailed explanation you included in this recipe…and WOW does it look delicious! I too buy rhubarb without knowing what I’m doing with it. In fact, I have some right now LOL. I need to give your recipe a try! Just pinned 🙂
Thank you, Traci. I hope you and your family enjoy this one. It’s definitely a favorite in our house.
I love strawberry and rhubarb together and this galette looks so my kind of dessert. Beautiful and delicious flavors.
I think this galette looks absolutely perfect! Yum! I have never tried Instant Gel before — thanks for introducing me to it!
Wow, This looks so good, i love rhubarb and that pastry looks so perfect!
I’ve never had rhubarb. I’ve heard great things. I want to try this!
It sounds and looks beautiful, even if you weren’t quite happy with the pasty. That’s the problem of being a food blogger – wanting things to look perfect when taste is the most important thing.
I know, it’s a curse. My tasters didn’t seem offended.
That “never perfect pastry” DNA effects me as well 🙂 Although by the looks of that pastry I would say yours is not as dominant a gene as mine! It looks delicious!
You are too kind! It was good, though… no complaints from my tasters.
nom nom – I am going to try this!