Hi and welcome to Susanality #53! A quick reminder that throughout March, I’ll be sending 30% of all paid subscriptions to the Ukraine Crisis Fund on care.org, which is continuing to supply water, food, hygiene kits, and other urgent supplies to Ukrainians in need. Every little bit helps! Also, if you know anyone who could use a beautiful galette in their life this week, please forward this email along.
Despite all of the horrific things going on in the world right now, I’m finding some solace in the kitchen, and hope you are too. It’s hard to know what’s appropriate to do or say when people are suffering, but we all still need joy and nourishment in our lives, as well as the sense of community that food brings. So many people in the food world are doing so much in an effort to help the Ukrainian people. There have been many successful bake sales and fundraisers, and then of course there’s Chef José Andrés, whose organization World Central Kitchen is working hard to feed hungry people as they make their way out of Ukraine.
So, let’s get back to joy and nourishment. Making this galette brought me LOTS of joy. I know it’s a bit early for rhubarb. Any that you find now will be hothouse grown, which is just fine. I saw some at my store so I grabbed it. I was putting together a blog post in collaboration with one of my favorite shops here in Amagansett, Il Buco Vita, and it was just what my little story needed. I think I mentioned last week that I found an old (very old) piece of pastry in my basement freezer. I was kind of in a time crunch (as usual) and I needed to make a beautiful rhubarb galette, so I took my chances. It worked out beautifully, and I realized it wasn’t just any dough, it was a slab of my EXTRA FLAKY dough.
I’m always happy when I can share what might be a new technique with you, my dear readers. I’m sure some of you are absolute whizzes at making tart dough/pie dough, but I KNOW there are some of you who are a bit afraid to try. Please don't be afraid! This dough does take a bit more time to prepare, because you have to roll it, fold it, and chill it twice, but it’s a great thing to do when you know you're going to be home for a bit. The upside is it’s a bit easier to roll out the final time because it’s smoother from all that rolling and folding. The other upside is that this mini-lamination process results in an incredibly flaky crust you won't believe you made.
The rhubarb is more of an adornment for this exquisite crust rather than being a heavily-filled tart, like this peach galette. The strips of rhubarb look a bit like satin ribbons, which is very pretty. Keep your eyes open for those pink stalks of rhubarb when you shop. Make the dough and throw it in the freezer so you’ll be ready when you do! Those first few harbingers of spring are starting to pop up, and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to the warmer weather and the endless variety of fresh produce that’s coming our way.
At Home with Vita
I’ve been a big fan of the Il Buco family of restaurants for many years. In fact, the executive chef, Justin Smillie, cooked the food at our rehearsal dinner! So I was thrilled when they opened a new restaurant, Il Buco al Mare, right in our little town of Amagansett, along with a branch of their housewares shop, Il Buco Vita, which also houses a little coffee bar. They recently asked me to collaborate on a post for their blog, AT HOME WITH VITA, to kick off spring, which I was only too happy to do. Click here to read it!
Get the App
Some exciting news: Susanality is now available through the new Substack app!
As a reminder, Substack is the platform through which I send—and you receive—these bi-weekly emails (or weekly, if you’re a paid subscriber). With the app, you’ll have even easier access to the Susanality archives, which can be particularly helpful when you’re out and about grocery shopping. Click here for more info on the app, and click here if you’re interested in learning more about Substack.
I also wanted to give some context behind the partial email some of you received last week. Substack gives the option to send “free previews” of paid content to free subscribers. It’s not something I will do often—I don’t want it to annoy you!—but I do think it’s a good way to keep everyone in the loop on what’s going on behind the paywall, and give you a taste for the full experience. I absolutely understand and respect if you’re not interested in upgrading to paid, and, if that’s the case, please just skip over any future free previews!
OK now onto the food!
Rhubarb Galette with Extra-Flaky Crust
Serves 4 to 6
By mimicking the folding and laminating process that’s used to make puff pastry and starting with larger-than-usual chunks of butter, you can (more quickly) create an extra flaky dough.
For the dough:
1 ¼ cup/160g all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup/113g cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2-inch thick pats
1/4 cup ice water, or more if needed
For the tart:
12 ounces trimmed rhubarb stalks
1/3 cup/67g sugar
1 tablespoon Aperol (optional), or lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Make the dough: Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Toss in the butter pieces and toss to coat them in flour. Work the butter in, using your fingers, flattening and breaking up the butter pieces as you squeeze them, until the largest pieces are the sizes of nickels and quarters.
Drizzle the ice water in while stirring with a fork to quickly and evenly distribute it. Add enough water so that it holds together when squeezed; if it still looks powdery and dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it holds together.
Knead a time or two in the bowl to bring it together and transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap, shaping it into a rough rectangle. Wrap it tightly in plastic and press it together a little more through the plastic, paying special attention to the edges. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour, until firm.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Brush off excess flour, fold it in half, and then in half again, so you have a rectangle that’s about the same size and shape you started with. Chill for 30 minutes, and repeat the process, rolling and chilling in the same way. At this point, you can chill the dough for up to two days (or freeze for longer).
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9 by 13-inch rectangle, aiming to keep the rectangular shape (see video above for a tutorial). Turn the dough and flour both sides frequently so it doesn't stick. (Alternatively, roll the dough out on a piece of floured parchment—see TIPS). Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Prick it all over—leaving a 2-inch border all around—with a fork and chill again until firm.
Meanwhile, prep the rhubarb: Cut a piece of rhubarb into a length that will allow for 2 inches of excess dough on each side. Use that piece to measure the rest of the rhubarb. You’ll need 7 or 8 pieces total that are about 5 inches long. Cut each piece of rhubarb lengthwise through the center so you have 2 flatter pieces. In a medium bowl, toss the rhubarb with the sugar and Aperol or lemon juice. Toss a few times until the sugar is moist and slushy.
Heat oven to 400℉. With the pan and dough lengthwise in front of you, spread the flour over the center part of the dough. Start shingling the rhubarb slices away from you, starting 2 inches from the bottom. The rhubarb will shrink so make sure they’re overlapping, stopping 2 inches from the top.
Fold the dough over the rhubarb, starting with the long ends first. Use your hands to firmly press down and crease the edges of the dough to keep them from flopping open as they bake. Chill the dough thoroughly. If the pan fits in the freezer, freeze for 10 to 15 minutes, or, if not, for 20 to 30 minutes in a cold fridge.
Brush the exposed pastry with cold water and sprinkle with sanding sugar or raw sugar. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the pastry is deeply browned and the rhubarb starts to brown too.
Warm up the jam in a small pot, letting it come to a simmer, or in a bowl in the microwave. Brush the warm jam over the fruit after the tart’s cooled for a few minutes.
Tips:
It’s important to leave a 2-inch border so the galette doesn’t flop open as it bakes. The final chilling safeguards against this too, so don't skip it.
Any rhubarb scraps can be roasted on a parchment-lined sheet pan at the same time as the tart bakes or afterward. Just toss with a decent amount of sugar (it’s very tart), spread it out on the pan, and bake for about 30 minutes.
If you’re not proficient at rolling dough, use a piece of parchment or silicone baking mat so you can easily put it back in the fridge if it gets too warm.
To help roll dough into a specific shape, like a rectangle, start rolling from the center out, and “push” the dough where you want it to go, especially once you get to the corners.
If your dough ends up as an amorphous shape, just cut the rhubarb pieces to fit, making sure the pieces are short enough for 2 inches of overhang on both sides.
If you don't have seedless jam, warm regular raspberry jam up in the microwave and push it through a small strainer to remove the seeds.
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