Strawberry Galette with Mint Basil Whipped Cream

Today I actually got to sleep in, which, lately, has not happened nearly enough. And by sleeping in, I mean I slept until 8am. Almost immediately I thought to myself, “It’s my day off…I want to bake!” So, I made a quick mental list of what I already had in the kitchen, then I consulted my Martha Stewart’s Pie & Tarts book, and this was the result:

It is the perfect dessert for summer. Especially for a day like today. The sun was shining and there was a gentle cool breeze. It was hard to be in a bad mood. Again I had to personalize the recipe just a teensy bit by adding mint to the whipped cream recipe which originally just called for basil.

I love strawberry season!

Ingredients:

• Pate Brisee(see recipe below)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
• 3 - 4 mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water (I like to use cream)
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Make the basil cream: Combine cream, basil, mint, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours for a more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Make the galette: Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Reserve end pieces for another use. Toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4. Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter (instead of cutting the butter into small chunks, I’ll take the butter and freeze it, then use a cheese grater to grate butter over the fruit). Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

5. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with basil cream and fried basil.

Pate Brisee

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Shape dough into a large ball. Flatten ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.