Recipe Testing: Cherry-Blueberry Rustic Rye Galette {Food52}

I signed up to test this dish for Food52 - Cherry-Blueberry Rustic Rye Galette by Meredith who blogs at Salvegging - because, well, just look at those words - cherry, blueberry, rustic, rye, and galette - I love them all. The combination sounded divine. And, it was!

Here's the headnote I'm submitting...

I love the deep regal hues of blueberries and cherries, shining jewels of summer fruits. Separately. Usually. This galette had me musing aloud: Why don't I combine these fruits more often?! The rye flour adds an alluring weight to the flaky crust made extra crunchy with a sprinkling of raw turbinado sugar. And I'm wondering for how many more weeks can I get fresh cherries and blueberries at the farmers' markets...because this rustic galette has catapulted its way into my family's hearts. I need to make it again. Stat.

Ingredients

• ½ C dark rye flour (not sure if she used regular rye or dark rye, I used what I had)
• ½ C all-purpose flour
• ¼ t sea salt
• 1 ½ t organic granulated sugar
• ½ t Pinot Grigio-Cherry vinegar (her original recipe called for apple cider vinegar)
• 4 T ice water
• 6 T butter (this is missing in her original post, but I emailed Meredith for the correct amount)
• 1 C fresh blueberries 
• 1 C fresh cherries, pitted (click for how to pit cherries without a cherry-pitter; thanks for showing me this trick, R!!)
• scant ¼ C organic granulated sugar
• 2 t cornstarch
• 2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ t lemon zest
• ¼ t vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
• pinches of raw turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Procedure

For the pastry...

Place the flour and cold butter in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size chunks of butter. Add vinegar, then the ice water 1 T at a time, until mixture just begins to clump together. If you squeeze some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and cut again. 

Note: too much water will make the crust tough. Once the dough comes together into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

After the dough has chilled for thirty minutes, roll out the pastry between two pieces of parchment paper. Then fold it in thirds to create layers. Wrap and chill again for another thirty minutes. Do this two more times.

Once you're ready to bake, roll out the pastry for a final time, forming a rustic 12-inch circle, adding more flour, if necessary, to prevent sticking. Transfer the crust to a baking sheet with the parchment or baking mat in place.

For the filling...

Place the blueberries and pitted cherries in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the the cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, sugar and vanilla; toss the berries gently, mixing to coat completely. Let it stand for a few minutes. 

To assemble...

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Mound the cherries-blueberries mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the filling. Leave the juice in the bowl. 

Fold up the edges of the pastry around the fruit and place the baking sheet in the freezer. 

Pour the juice into a saucepan and heat - to reduce - for a few minutes until slightly thickened. 

Remove the pastry from the freezer, and spoon the thickened juice over the top. Paint an egg wash over the crust and sprinkle it all with sugar.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. It's finished when the pastry is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least thirty minutes before serving.

I doubled the recipe and made two galettes. Thank goodness...because we were all clamboring for a second slice. This is definitely going to be made again before the summer ends. Thanks, Meredith for the great recipe.