Freeform Berry Tart
This delightful dessert is a take on the French galette.
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A fresh berry tart is such a fun and easy way to serve up rustic elegance for dessert. I’ve made galettes before, the more formal French term for a tart in this style. My interpretation is a little more freeform, hence the name “Freeform Berry Tart.” I LOVE this recipe, and when you can have berries pretty much year-round, a tart can always be on the menu.
A quick tart dough takes just a few minutes to make. A food processor, flour, sugar, butter, salt, and water are all you’ll need to make a fresh pastry dough. The dough, once formed, should be refrigerated for an hour before it’s rolled out into a rough circle, about 16-inches in diameter.
I like a mix of berries for both color and flavor. I love the combination here, and while the berries are naturally sweet, a little bit of sugar and corn starch tossed over the berries will draw out more sweetness and juice that will create a kind of delicious syrup inside the tart as it bakes.
The berries go into the center of the circle, and then the sides of the pastry dough are folded over the edge of the berries, leaving an exposed center of berries circled by the crust. It will look rustic, but that’s entirely the point.
Before baking, I brush the crust with an egg wash and pop it into the oven for about 20 minutes or until the crust has been transformed into a golden halo around the fruit. A dusting of powdered sugar will mask any flaws while adding a hint of sweetness and a delicately snowy finish to the tart.
My informal galette is what I like to call a “freeform” berry tart. Serve this as is, or with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!
Freeform Berry Tart
Watch How It's Made
For the dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup cold butter, cold, shredded
- ¼ - ½ cup iced water
For the berries:
- 3 pints berries, fresh (any type or mixed)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
To finish:
- egg wash (1 egg + ¼ tsp salt)
- powdered sugar to garnish
Preparation
- Grate cold butter using the large-shred face of a cheese grater.
- To the work bowl of a food processor, add the flour, ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, salt, and shredded butter and pulse 8-10 times or until the butter is pea-size or smaller and well-coated in the flour.
- Working quickly, with the food processor running, add ¼ cup of iced water, and more water 1 tbsp at a time if needed until the dough forms into a single ball that rolls around the work bowl.
- Turn the dough out, fold it over itself with your hands 2-3 times, then shape to a disc and cover with plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F with no fan and prepare a sheet tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a circle about 16” in diameter, then use the rolling pin to transfer it to the center of the sheet tray (some dough will hang off the edges, that’s ok!).
- In a bowl, gently toss together the berries, sugar, and cornstarch until no more cornstarch can be seen – try not to break up the berries too much during this process. Tip the berry mixture into the center of the dough then use a spatula or your hands to spread them out from the center until they are 2 inches inside the border of the dough.
- Working in a circle, fold the edges of the dough in over the berries to form a crust, leaving the center open.
- Brush the dough with egg wash, then bake on the bottom rack for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Garnish with powdered sugar.
