by Solara Goldwynn, Hatchet & Seed –
Summer on the Islands is an amazing and abundant time for local food. As I write this, a staple summer flavour is beginning to ripen: the contentious blackberry. I know there are those of you out there who underappreciate this incredibly successful plant. For myself, most of the year I curse it too. It comes up in the garden, creeping through the hedgerows, overtaking the underutilized spaces (or buildings) and really hurts when you attempt to remove it. A friend once told me that a blackberry plant can grow 18 feet a year, and I’ve seen that to be true. In our garden at the edge of the property, there is a blackberry patch that rivals many. The past few years we’ve decided to work with it instead of against it. Once a year we rent a hedge trimmer and cut a maze into the brambles, and when they are ready, we pick. All kinds of blackberry goodness ensues the rest of the year (including the best, most wild tasting blackberry wine!) Here is one of many ways we eat blackberries: a simple, yet delectable galette. And so, let’s enjoy this successful plant and appreciate its abundance, at least this time of year.
Lavender-Infused Blackberry Galette
Crust:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp raw cane sugar
¼ – ½ cups ice cold water
1 tsp lavender petals
1. Put the flour, salt, sugar, and lavender petals in the bowl of a food processor. Mix until combined.
2. Add in the butter and mix until crumbly (about 30 seconds)
3. Slowly pour in water through the feed hole while mixing, just until the mixture starts to hold together.
4. Take the dough out and divide into two (save one for later by keeping it wrapped in the freezer; we’ll just be making one today).
5. Roll out with a rolling pin (some extra flour helps for this!) Place the rolled-out dough into a high-lipped pie pan and place in the fridge.
Galette:
2 cups blackberries (or other fruit)
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp cane sugar
1. Mix 1 tbsp sugar with the blackberries in a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Put this filling into the centre of the chilled crust, leaving two inches around the border.
3. Pinch the crust up around the fruit, leaving the centre exposed.
4. Brush the beaten egg around the outside of the crust and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
5. Bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes (until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling). Serve with whipped cream or coconut milk ice cream.
Enjoy!
