NEWS FLASH: If you love pie, you’re gonna LOVE galettes! A galette is literally just a casual pie, with all the same ingredients, but no pan required and a shorter baking time. This summery strawberry version starts off with a delicious dough that’s packed with tons of cold butter for an extra flaky, tender crust. I wanted to mix things up from the usual just-fruit filling, so I included another delicious dessert with the addition of sumac cheesecake beneath the fresh berries.
This layer brings rich creaminess from the cheesecake and perfect tang from the sumac. It also helps the galette bake better, because it keeps the strawberries from leaking down into the crust and making it soggy, and it serves as an ideal base for you to nestle the strawberries in a beautiful, summer potluck-worthy design. I top the whole thing off with even more sumac and sugar for a final burst of flavor and texture before it bakes. This galette is absolutely delicious and easIER than pie!
1. What’s sumac?
Sumac is actually the dried and ground berry of the sumac plant. Its flavor is bright and tangy, not unlike lemon juice, and it has a vibrant, deep red color. A different species of sumac is actually poisonous, but don’t worry, its berries are white, so it’s easy to see the difference!
2. Mix up the berries!
I chose strawberries since they’re in season during the summer, but you could use almost any berry you like here! Baking is one of the best ways to use up fruit that’s a little overripe, so if you have raspberries or blueberries languishing in your fridge, swap them for the strawberries in the recipe.
3. Galette vs. Pie
A galette is just a casual, rustic version of a pie; all the same ingredients, but a galette needs no pie pan and is shaped free form. Shaping the dough may seem hard, but as long as you keep it nice and cold, it’ll fold without issue. If you notice your dough getting sticky or hard to work with at any stage, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes to let the butter chill again, then pick up right where you left off!
Strawberry Sumac Cheesecake Galette
Ingredients
For the Galette Dough
- 3 cups flour (360 g)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg, beaten
For the Cheesecake Filling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons sumac
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Strawberries
- 24 ounces strawberries, washed and cut into ½-inch slices
Instructions
For Galette Crust:
- In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and toss to coat in flour, taking care to coat well. Then, using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Slowly pour in ⅔ cup ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until it just starts to come together. Once it begins to come together, turn dough out onto a clean work surface. Form dough into a rough ball with your hands, then wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
For Cream Cheese Filling:
- In a small bowl, combine sugar and sumac. Reserve.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add cream cheese, sour cream, and 3 tablespoons sugar mixture. Whip together for about 1 minute, or light and fluffy. Add 1 egg yolk at a time, allowing it to incorporate fully before adding the next. Then add vanilla extract and salt and turn on low to combine once again. Transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate until pie crust is fully chilled.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove pie crust from fridge and let sit for 15 minutes before rolling.
- Next, roll out dough to 18 inches across and transfer to parchment paper. Spread cream cheese filling with offset spatula or back of spoon. Spread until 2-3 inches from edge. Then, layer strawberries, alternating cut side up and down.
- Then, use parchment paper to wrap and push unfilled edges around strawberry layer. You should have 1 ½ inches of crust around strawberries. If pie crust becomes too warm, transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to baking sheet, brush with egg, then sprinkle with remaining sumac sugar.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and cheesecake layer has a few lightly browned areas. Remove from oven and allow galette to cool completely. Slice and serve immediately.
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