Mulberry Galette With Vanilla Sauce

A fruit that used to be widely consumed but has since faded from memory. That is to say, a “Mulberry” is a brand of purse popular among female shoppers. It could also refer to the type of shrub through which a mischievous monkey or weasel made their escape. All around the mulberry bush, as the saying goes.

Those are the only two connections I can make in my head.

We washed and froze hundreds of pounds of them after purchasing them in bulk. Dry the berries well before placing them in the freezer bag to prevent them from sticking together and creating excessive ice after freezing.

Putting them through a salad spinner is the most effective method we’ve found. The salad spinner tornado certainly won’t fare well with more delicate fruit like raspberries, but it does a great job with heftier berries like mulberries, blueberries, etc.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

• 1 1/4 cups of flour
• 7 tablespoons of cold butter (cubed)
• 3 tablespoons of ice water
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 beaten egg with 2 teaspoons water
• 3 ½ cups of washed mulberries
• ¼ cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of butter

SAUCE:

• 2 beaten egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. We recommend beginning with the crust. Mix the sugar, salt, and flour together in a large bowl. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs once the butter has been cut in. To make a dough, slowly drizzle in the ice water while stirring. Shape into a disk, cover, and chill for at least 20 minutes before using.
2. Set oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. In a bowl, mix the berries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour to make the filling.
3. Form the dough into a 13-inch round and place it on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Spread the berries out in a circle, starting in the middle, and leaving a 2-inch border all the way around. Tuck the filling within the folded edge.
5. Brush the dough lightly with the egg wash, and dot the remaining tablespoon of butter over the berries. To get bubbling and golden brown, bake for 25 minutes.
6. Make the vanilla sauce in the last 10 minutes of baking. Egg yolks and sugar should be beaten for about two minutes, until the yolks are thick and pale yellow.
7. Add a quarter cup of the milk mixture to the egg yolks while constantly whisking to temper the yolks. Whisk frequently as you add a quarter cup of the milk mixture to the egg yolks to temper them.
8. Next, slowly incorporate the yolk mixture into the remaining milk, whisking the whole. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce has thickened. Take it off the heat and mix in some vanilla essence and salt.
9. The galette and the sauce need to cool down a little bit. Cut the pastry into pieces and sprinkle with the heated vanilla sauce.