Blackberry harvest in America can run from early June through August, but peak time in Texas to find these plump, juicy, tartly sweet berries is July, and there's no better way to enjoy them than with a Blackberry Galette.
Wild dewberries are the cousin to blackberries, and you can find them at roadside stands sold by the gallon, but the true blackberry is cultivated on farms. You can either purchase at your local grocer or go to a pick-your-own farm. We chose the latter, and visited Blueberry Hill Farms in Edom, Texas to get these beauties.
What to do with blackberries? With blackberries, it’s beneficial to maintain the plumpness and size of the fruit so pulverizing is out. There are always pancakes, of course (tempting). And you can make a pie (delicious). But summer calls for a sweetened dessert that’s not too heavy on the pie crust, especially if you’re eating a lot of other dense calorie foods at the same time.
It was an easy choice. To round out our summer festivities, we made a Blackberry Galette.
The Galette comes from French cuisine, and is not a traditional pie crust, but a crumbly, buttery shortbread crust that comes out more like a dessert pizza and usually has the word “rustic” attached to it. It is a free form circular crust that is rolled out, usually filled with fruit, then folded over on the edges, leaving the fruit exposed in the center then baked flat on a sheet pan.
Because of the forgiving nature of the dessert, it is a wonderful dish to practice on if you’re not a natural baker, and excellent process for teaching children how to bake. You can make this with a Pâte brisée crust, but we prefer a shortbread crust which is what is written below. It’s richer in fat and softer than ordinary flaky pastry and the added egg yolk makes it a bit crunchier than Pâte brisée so it yields a delightful buttery taste with a bit of a crunch, which is a lovely complement to the plump and juicy blackberries.
Done right, this can become one of your favorite go-to desserts as it can be put together quickly and adapted to many fruits. This is a basic recipe that can be modified over time too. Mastering this dessert gives you one more recipe you can add to your collection that will be a joy to make, a beauty to behold and even more delicious to eat.
The hardest part is the crust but don’t worry, we’re going to give you some tips that will help make this easy to make and extremely impressive to unveil.
Serves 6
Total time to make: 1 hour
RECIPE: Blackberry Galette
Shortbread crust
These ingredients will make one 10-inch crust.
1 ¼ C self-rising (or all-purpose) flour
1/3 C white sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest (tip: 1 lemon usually yields 1 tsp zest)
¼ tsp salt
Mix first ingredients together briefly with a whisk so all are incorporated.
Add: 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, slightly softened.
Similar to a traditional pie crust, you want to work the butter into the flour mixture. We suggest using your fingertips to lightly work the butter into the flour mixture, trying not to get it stuck to your palms. It should look like coarse crumbs and feel dry to the touch.
Add: 1 egg yolk
Using a fork or spatula, work in the egg yolk until the mixture forms a soft ball in the bowl. You can also use your food processor for these steps, just pulsing until the dough comes together.
Lay down a sheet of waxed paper, then place the dough ball on top and cover with a second sheet of wax paper. Begin to roll it with your pin working from the center out, alternating angles to make a wide circle. If you’ve handled the butter too much and the dough is sticky, pop it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to harden and try again. But our goal here is to get this recipe done quickly and into the oven.
Roll out to about 13 inch in diameter on the parchment. Carefully slide the parchment onto a sheet pan and remove the top layer of parchment.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven (so the berries don’t burn while cooking). Now you’re ready to make the filling.
Blackberry Filling
1 ½ C fresh blackberries
2 tsp sugar
1 T unsalted butter, cut into tiny pats
2 tsp lemon zest
Milk, for brushing the dough
Raw or Turbinado cane sugar for decorating (optional)
Fruit Substitutions: peeled peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or any other berries you think would be delicious and is in season. For smaller fruit, you may want to up the amount to 2 C. You could also change the zest to complement the fruit.
Sprinkle the fruit with the sugar, butter and zest and gently mix to combine. Spoon mixture into center of crust on pan, piling higher rather than flatter, and leaving about 3 inches from the fruit to the edge of the crust. Fold over edges onto the fruit one section at a time, going around the circle. Each fold of crust should be about 2-3 inches thick from the edge to the center, leaving a pile of sweetened fruit mostly in the center. Brush edges of crust lightly with milk and sprinkle the whole dessert with a bit of raw or Turbinado sugar. This is optional but adds to the crunchiness and texture of the crust.
Bake in oven until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. (never bake at the longest time at the outset, check around 25 minutes, it may be ready). Cool on a rack, slice and serve with fresh whipped cream. Galette is best served the same day. Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Note: We've posted more pictures of this beautiful, simple galette in our gallery. Check it out to see more pictures of our recipe creations!