Brown Butter Strawberry Galette
This is the dessert I bring to every June dinner — a rustic, free-form pastry that hides a pool of brown-butter custard beneath the strawberries. It tastes like the very best version of a French farmstand tart, and you do not need to be a baker to make it.
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Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3–5 tablespoons ice water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (for brown butter)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
- Flaky sea salt, to finish
Method
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar and fine salt. Add the cold butter and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until you have a mix of pea-sized pieces and a few flatter, almond-sized shards — those are the ones that make it flaky.
- Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of ice water and stir with a fork until the dough begins to come together. Add a little more water as needed, then turn it out and gently press into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to two days.
- Make the brown butter. In a light-colored saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Swirl frequently and cook until the milk solids turn a deep golden brown and smell like toasted hazelnuts, about 4 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the cooled brown butter with the egg yolk, cream, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. This is your custard layer — set aside.
- Heat the oven to 400 °F. In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the cornstarch and lemon zest.
- Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle on a sheet of parchment. Slide it onto a baking sheet. Spread the brown-butter custard over the center, leaving a 2-inch border. Pile the strawberries on top.
- Fold the edges of the dough up and over the fruit, pleating as you go. Brush the crust with a little extra cream and shower it generously with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the custard is set in the center. Cool for at least 20 minutes — the juices need a moment to settle. Finish with flaky salt, and serve warm with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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If you made this
I'd love to see it — tag @mydarr on Instagram so I can find your galette in the wild.