Bits of summer + blackberry hazelnut galette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! Remember me? The girl who used to blog round these parts? I'm sneaking in with a few photos and a recipe for something tasty and to say hi. Hi! I hope your summer has been grand.

Mine has been very full and very good: recipe writing, live music and birthday celebrations for the books, day trips further into the mountains, evenings spent contra dancing and plenty of coffee shop sitting with friends. I'm feeling nostalgic for it and it's not even gone yet. I can't help but think it's been one of those seasons I'll look back on and think "oh, those were the good ol' days."

 There hasn't been much interesting baking going happening here lately, as I've spent most of my time in the kitchen working on recipes for my book. This galette is one of the few extra things I've baked, and oh, it was good. I made it about a month ago now, with the few handful of blackberries we found, mixed in with some store bought ones. This hasn't been the summer of wild fruit, that's for sure. Hardly any to be found round these parts. I'm a little bit in love with the flavor combination of blackberry + hazelnut + thyme. I'd never topped my desserts with fresh herbs before, which is a shame, as it's really delicious. I'll take herbs with of all my sweets now, please and thank you!

Blackberry Galette with Hazelnut Crust and Thyme

 For the crust:
(from Martha Stewart)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup ground toasted, skinned hazelnuts 
Salt 
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water 

Pulse flour, hazelnuts, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water evenly over mixture, and pulse until it just begins to hold together (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse

Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before rolling.

 For berry filling:

2 cups blackberries

1/4 cup sugar 

3 tablespoons flour 

3 tablespoons ground hazelnuts 

raw sugar 
fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400.

Stir together blackberries, sugar, ground hazelnuts and flour in a medium bowl. 

 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to baking sheet.
Spread berry mixture evenly over the dough to within 2 inches of the edge.
Fold the edge of the dough up over the plums to create a 2-inch border. Sprinkle with raw sugar. 

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the fruit is soft and the crust is browned.

 Allow to cool, serve with fresh thyme.