We went away for one week and the farmers' market went from ho-hum to fantastic. Not only were there ramps and asparagus, there were also lots of herbs, spring onions, and morel mushrooms. And there was rhubarb.
As always, when I visit the Silver Spring farmers' market, my first stop is Koiner's Farm, which offers produce grown in downtown Silver Spring. Koiner's is the life's work of Charlie Koiner, who is now 90 years old and still going strong. We should all be so lucky as to find work that sustains and energizes us so that we stay committed to it untll we are (at least 90). He is an inspiration to us all. If you want to know more about Koiner and his farm, check out the documentary about him, The Corner Plot, reviewed here.
The rhubarb that Koiner had this week was not the traditional red, but a green variety. Although it looks like celery, it's got the citrusy tang of rhubarb. We were having family over for dinner, so I threw together a quick galette. I thought about adding strawberries to the galette, too, but I was so excited to see that first rhubarb that I just wanted to have it straight up, at least for the first time this season.
Second Helping: Monday Rhubarb Streusel Cake
Thirds: Rhubarb-Thyme Compote
Green Rhubarb Galette
Although I used green rhubarb for this recipe, the red variety would work just as well and maybe would be even a bit prettier.
Makes 1 galette (serves 6)
30 minutes preparation time
approximately 25 minutes baking time
For the crust:
2 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons ice water
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cold butter
To make the crust, first whisk together the sour cream and water in a small bowl and set it aside. In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Add the butter and work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture has pieces that range in size from small pebbles to grains of sand. Stir in the sour cream mixture and stir using your hands until the mixture comes together into a soft dough.
Roll the dough into a ball, and flatten it into a disk. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or as long as a couple of days.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the filling by mixing the rhubarb with the 3 tablespoons of sugar. When the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it is about 15 inches in diameter. Don't worry about making the galette perfect, but do patch any holes in the bottom of the dough so that the filling won't leak out. Move it onto the baking sheet.
Spoon the filling onto the dough, leaving an inch or two border. Break off small bits of the butter and distribute them over the filling. Fold the edge of the crust up over the filling, working around in a circle to give the dough a pleated look.
Brush the edges of the galette with water and sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the edges. Bake until the galette is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, ideally with a scoop of ice cream.
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