Strawberry. Rhubarb. Flaky, flaky buttery crust. Oh and…they are personal sized. These will impress at a dinner party for four. Or at 10 a.m. with your coffee.

Something about a pie you don’t have to slice…really makes my day.

Galettes look gorgeous but they are so simple. They also have a more equal crust to filling ratio than pie- which for a crust girl like me- is heaven.

Since the filling is a whopping three ingredients, let’s talk crust. For most pies I use a butter-only Patê Brisée- which is particularly flaky and tender. But a pie has a pie plate and is transferred from plate to plate with a pie server, sturdiness isn’t too important.

But galettes! They have no pie plate to rely on simply the envelope of crust to hold them together from oven to baking pan to plate to mouth (if eating by hand…which I do a lot). So sturdiness is needed! This crust is still all butter à la Julia Child but with an added egg for protein and structure. What about the flakiness though? Did we compromise tenderness for structure and lay waste to layers of flaky crust. Ha! Not in my house.

Besides the usual tender touch needed with pie dough, this recipe calls for some distilled white vinegar which makes the crust flaky, flaky, flaky.

Be quick, strawberry season is fleeting. And rhubarb season is even shorter. So dinner party away!

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

Makes 4 galettes

Crust Recipe

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoons salt

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pats

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

For brushing: lightly beaten egg + few drops of water

Sugar for sprinkling, granulated or raw

Filling

3 stalks rhubarb

1/2 lb. strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Crust

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter and pulse until pecan-size lumps remain. If using your hands, rub the cold butter and flour mixture together to achieve the same. Whisk egg, milk and vinegar together in a small bowl. Add to flour and butter mixture.
2. If using food processor, pulse until dough just comes together. If using your hands, continue to rub ingredient between your fingers until dough just comes together.
3. Butter pieces should be no bigger than pea size.
4. Turn dough out on to counter and mold into a disk shape.
5. Wrap disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Filling

1. In a large skillet, mix rhubarb and sugar together. Cook on low heat until rhubarb is almost tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add strawberries to skillet and gently mix. Remove from heat and set aside.

Galette Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Take dough out of refrigerator and let rest for 5 minutes.
3. On a floured surface, roll dough into a circle 1/4 inch thick.
4. With top of pairing knife, cut four 6_^1/2 – 7 inch circles.
5. Pile filling in center evenly among four galettes, leaving 1/2 inch border around each galette. You may have extra filling.
6. Take edge of crust and fold over filling.
7. Brush the crust with the egg wash, pinch folds of crust and secure.
8. Sprinkle the sugar generously on the crust.
9. Chill galettes for 15-20 min.
10. Bake on center rack of the oven until the crust is golden brown, about 35-40 min. Leakage is common and never a bad thing! Always remember to gauge your baking time based on your oven temperature. Golden brown and delicious is always the best sign for a done crust.
11. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!