Rustic Strawberry Basil Galette

For the pastry crust:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup cool unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (does not have to be ice cold)
¼ cup cool water
2 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice

For the almond base:
½ cup almond meal
A handful (7-8 branches) of fresh basil, chiffonade

For the filling:
4 cups fresh strawberries, cut into large slices. (about 1 ½ lb)
¼ cup sugar
Optional – a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Instructions

For the pastry crust:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the oil and blend in using a pastry cutter, electric beater or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until the flour looks evenly crumbly in texture.

Add the butter and cut in until rough and crumbly, but small pieces of butter are still visible. Stir the water and vinegar (or lemon juice, if using) together and add all at once to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into 2 disks, wrap and chill until firm, at least an hour. (The dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored chilled, or can be frozen for up to 3 months, thawing in the fridge before rolling.)

For the almond base:

In a small mixing bowl, combine the almond meal and the fresh basil chiffonade. With the tips of your fingers, gently rub the almond meal and basil together, so the almond absorbs the moisture from the basil and turns slightly moist and green. Set aside.

For the filling and the galette: 

When your dough is well chilled, pre-heat your oven to 350 °F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and the vanilla extract. Place the strawberries in a bowl, sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top, and toss gently.

Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on a work surface and dust the parchment with flour. Place the dough on the floured parchment and roll it out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.

Lift the parchment paper, and transfer the pastry with the parchment to a large baking tray.

Sprinkle the almond meal mixture evenly onto the pastry, in a circle, leaving 1 1/2 to 2 inches of rim of pastry all around. Toss the strawberry filling on top, in a single layer and in a circle, again leaving 1 ½ to 2 inches rim of pastry all around. If your strawberries are extra juicy, leave the extra juice in the bowl, so the filling do not overflow too much when baking.

Fold the outer edges of the pastry over the strawberries, creating overlapping folds as you work around the perimeter. It doesn’t need to be perfect, we’re aiming for a rustic looking galette here.

Lightly sprinkle the outer edges of the crust with turbinado sugar, if desired.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let the galette cool on the baking sheet. It will need to cool off and firm up a bit, before you can transfer it onto a plate or serving tray. Add a few fresh basil leaves on top before serving if desired.