OVERVIEW
The combination of strawberries and pastry is a classic for good reason, but charring a portion of the fruit on the EGG transforms the flavour entirely by intensifying the strawberries’ natural sweetness. Baking the pastry in the indirect heat of the sealed Dome gives a wonderfully golden finish. Rustic, colourful and perfect for sharing.
MAKE THE PASTRY
Start by making the sweet shortcrust pastry. Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a large bowl or food processor. Add the butter cubes and lightly rub with your fingertips (or pulse in a food processor) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and cold water or milk and use a round-bladed knife (or continue pulsing) to combine the ingredients until the pastry comes together, adding a tiny bit more liquid if needed. Gather the dough up with your hands and knead very briefly into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Try not to handle it too much at this stage, or the fat will get warm and the pastry will become tricky to use and potentially tough and chewy. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes before using.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out your pastry into a 30cm circle about 5mm thick. It doesn’t need to be a perfect circle – that’s the beauty of a galette. Place on baking parchment to helps prevent shrinkage in the oven.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Set up your EGG for direct cooking with a Cast Iron Searing Grid in place. Target temperature is 200°C.
Place half of the strawberries onto the grid until they picked up a bit of nice colour on the edges. Leave the remaining strawberries fresh.
Combine all the strawberries with the pistachios, sugar, cornflour and thyme leaves.
CONSTRUCT THE GALETTE
Scatter the ground almonds so they cover the centre of the pastry, leaving a 5cm border. The almonds will absorb excess strawberry juices and help keep the pastry crisp. Spoon over the strawberry mixture, leaving the 5cm border clear.
Fold the edges of the pastry over to create a rustic galette. Brush the pastry border with beaten egg and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
BAKE THE GALETTE
Reconfigure the EGG for indirect cooking, with the ConvEGGtor in a legs-down position topped with the Stainless Steel Grid. Bring the temperature back up to 200°C. Slide the galette onto the flat side of a Cast Iron Plancha Griddle and bake for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove and allow to cool.
Just before serving, brush with warmed strawberry jam, sprinkle with a few thyme leaves and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche.
