Gooseberry Galette

Galettes: what's not to love? Free-form pastry that doesn‘t need to be perfect, filled with virtually any fruit, and almost always served with something creamy. Just dreamy.

This version is no exception, featuring flaky sprouted-spelt flour pastry, tart gooseberries, and crunchy toasted hazelnuts. I served this with vegan vanilla ice cream, which I allowed to soften until it was almost custard-like.

A word of warning here: gooseberries are delicious, but very very sharp, so you can't get away without sweetening them. As this dessert is a treat, I used caster sugar here, although coconut or stevia could also work.

SERVES:
6

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

For the pastry

225g spelt flour – plain is fine, but I used sprouted, for extra goodness

1 tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

125g cold vegan butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks

1-3 tbsp cold water

For the filling

500g gooseberries

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp coconut sugar or demerara, for sprinkling

To serve

Vegan vanilla ice cream, cream, crème fraîche or custard

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

Start by making your pastry. Add the flour, sugar and salt to a large bowl, and stir to combine.
Add the butter, and work it into the dry ingredients. With your palms facing upwards, rub the butter and flour between your fingers using your thumbs, rubbing from your little finger to your index finger until it resembles breadcrumbs and is starting to clump together.
Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a ball. Be careful not to over-handle or knead the dough – just bring it together into a rough disk, and wrap it loosely in cling film.
Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 mins. 10 mins before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4.
Rinse your gooseberries, shake off the excess water, then place them in a bowl. Add the caster sugar, and toss the gooseberries until they're well coated.
Remove your pastry from the fridge and place it on a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Place another sheet on top and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rough circle about the thickness of a £1 coin.
Remove the top layer of greaseproof paper and slide the pastry, still on the bottom sheet, onto a baking tray.
Take the gooseberries and pile them into the centre of the pastry, scraping all the sugar from the sides of the bowl and scattering it on top.
Carefully fold up the sides of the pastry to encase some of the fruit, patching up any larger cracks if needed.
Sprinkle the pastry and fruit with the remaining sugar, and bake for about 30 mins, or until the pastry is crisp and the fruit is soft, oozing juices, and a little scorched in places.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few mins before serving with vanilla ice cream (or other creamy delight of your choice), and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts.