I have to admit that it comes to food shows, I’m just about as picky about what I watch as I am about what I eat. Which translates to a very exclusive list of food shows that I do follow quite religiously.
But when a friend of mine, upon finding out some of my favourite shows, scoffed at my choice of entertainment (“What? You spend your time watching a guy stuff himself with hamburgers and pizzas?!”, I believe were his exact words.) and went on to rattle off a list he watches that sounded way more sophisticated than mine, he admittedly got my interest piqued.
Of all the shows he rattled off, the one that got my attention more than the others was French Food at Home, for all my love for the French cuisine.
So off I went to catch my first episode.
Ten minutes in and I knew I was onto a very good thing. A fantastic show with a effortless chic feel, homely sophisticated recipes and a really attractive, funny host- can’t ask for more in a show, if you ask me.
Now I’ve never had a galette, honestly didn’t even know what it was until I saw it on the show. But the second I saw Laura Calder make a strawberry galette, I knew instantly I had to make it as soon as I had some time on my hands.
Sweet, juicy strawberries softened gently in the warmth of the oven and fragrant ground almonds scented with strawberry juices, encased in a buttery, flaky tart, this tart was simply unnecessary testimony to what a great show French Food at Home is.
(By the way, in the rare chance that I’m not the last person on earth to discover this little tip, if you wanna keep your strawberries around a little longer, layering them between paper towels and storing them in an airtight container does the trick. Mine seriously looked as fresh a week later as the day I bought them.)
Now if you will excuse me, I have to run off to grab another slice while catching an episode of French Food at Home.
Strawberry Galette [adapted from French Food at Home]
Ingredients
Pastry
1 2/3 cups plain flour
3 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
150g butter, cubed
2 to 4 tbsp iced water
Filling
2/3 cup ground almonds, lightly toasted
1 tbsp plain flour
1 pint of strawberries
2 tbsp caster sugar
- To make the pastry Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub the cold butter in until a loose mixture forms. Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until a loose dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- To make the filling Combine the ground almonds and flour; set it aside. Take the stems off the strawberries , halve them and gently combine them with the sugar.
- Preheat the oven at 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll the pastry out into a 9 inch circle. Spoon the almond mixture into the centre of the pastry. Spread the almond mixture evenly, leaving a 3 inch border. Place the strawberries on top of the almond filling. Wrap the pastry edges over the strawberries.
- Bake the galette for about 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Serves 6
Kitchen Corner
/ June 22, 2010Oh .. l love this kind of dessert. Serve with a dollop of ice cream. Hot and cold…. I like the FEEL…
ovenhaven
/ June 22, 2010I’m a fan of galettes, but two recipes I’ve tried had utterly disappointing crusts! I’m gonna give this one a try
Oh, and thanks for the strawberry storage tip, you [strawberry]lifesaver you!
thecoffeesnob
/ June 22, 2010Hey Grace
Ooh yes this was sorely lacking a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream, something I’ll be sure to make up for the next time I make this 
Hi Zhul. You’re certainly most welcome! I tried it out of desperation to keep my strawberries from going bad until I could get some time away from work and it worked perfectly- it’s the one tip I’m gonna be sharing with everyone I meet now
poperatzii
/ June 23, 2010I have seen pictures of this dessert so many places but I had no idea what it was called. It’s so elegant, yet rustic, if that’s possible. I think I’ll try it.
happy homebaker
/ June 24, 2010I’ll love to have this with a pot of tea! Incidentally, I bought some strawberry flavoured tea from Cameron Highlands, I am sure it will go very well with this dessert. Can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!
ingrid
/ June 24, 2010I haven’t made a galette in years! Yours looks and sounds terrific. (love almond & strawberry together.)
Btw, thanks for strawberry saver tip! Needed that.
~ingrid
Megan
/ June 25, 2010OMG, that dessert looks absolutely heavenly. I’ve never heard of that TV show before. Is it available online?
And thanks for the tip on strawberries. I usually just buy frozen ones.
thecoffeesnob
/ June 26, 2010Hi poperatzii. It does looks really elegant and rustic but I especially love that it doesn’t need a tart pan or blind baking!
Hey HHB
Ooh yes strawberry flavoured tea does sounds like it would go perfectly with a slice of this!
Pleasure’s all mine, Ingrid! Good things, especially when it involves prolonging the pleasure of having sweet and juicy strawberries in the house, are meant to be shared
Hi Megan. You’re most welcome
I’ve seen episodes of it on youtube- try searching for “french food at home” or “laura calder”. Happy watching! 
sihan
/ July 1, 2010I really like her shows too. But I must say the low cut tops she wear while parading round the kitchen can be quite a distraction to her viewers. She tries to hard in that aspect to surpass the domestic Goddess, Nigella Lawson. That aside, her recipes and all are pretty good.
That galette looks wonderful girl. *smilez*
thecoffeesnob
/ July 3, 2010Hey Sihan. Haha yeah it certainly doesn’t hurt that she is very attractive and flaunts what she has on screen
happy homebaker
/ July 8, 2010Just want to let you know, I made this 2 days ago. I used a slightly different but very similar pastry base (adapted from joyofbaking), and replaced 1/3 of it with wholemeal flour. I may have over baked it, so the strawberries were a little on the dry side. Nevertheless, the taste was awesome! Once again, thanks for your inspiration
thecoffeesnob
/ July 8, 2010Hi HHB. Thank you for sharing that! It’s always nice to know when someone else has tried recipes I’ve tried
Sara
/ September 17, 2010This looks yummy! I’ll have to try it sometime
Question though–Are galettes supposed to be served hot or cold? Or both?
thecoffeesnob
/ September 19, 2010Thanks, Sara! Well, I usually served them warmed and preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but I suppose you can serve them either way
Trish
/ February 17, 2011Came here from HHB. Great tip about the youtube show – I have a dinner idea now – thank you !
thecoffeesnob
/ February 27, 2011Hi Trish! You’re most welcome