The Hunger Struck - Confessions of a Food Fanatic.

I love gooseberries. It seems like only two years ago they were a rarity in Vancouver. I remember seeing tiny little baskets of them, with their fragile paper leaves priced outrageously and wondering if they would ever become economical enough to really consider using as I would other berries, for things like tarts, galettes and pies which require larger quantities.

They have come down a bit in price, though they are still quite expensive. You can now buy them locally in Vancouver in larger bushels, without their paper leaves, which I personally don’t care for as I think it takes away some of their charm even if it does save me sometime. But they aren’t for everyday, though I desperately wish they could be. I splurged a bit on these as I was in the market for something special for a dessert on mothers day.

I was asked the other day to describe their taste, you know one of those questions like “what other berry would you compare them to”? I really had a hard time comparing their taste, because for me they are distinct. I ‘ve heard them compared to grapes before, which to me is almost ludicrous. Nothing about their texture or mild buttery richness says grape to me. They don’t have the juiciness of grapes and because I know they are related to currents, when pressed for a comparison I would say that they are a bit like a large current. I’ve seen them labeled as Earth Berries at the Jean Talon market in Montreal and I think that describes them the best. They are earthy, rich and have a slight tartness to them. They are perfect for pies and tarts and when paired with this amazing Sugar Dough crust from Cannelle et Vanille, you may just forget all about your foolproof pie crust recipe forever.

Gooseberry Galette – Makes 1 large Galette – Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille

Because the recipe I used for the sugar dough crust came from Cannelle et Vanille and uses weight measurements I will refer you over there for it. I recently broke my kitchen scale and as a result was forced to estimate the amounts for the dry ingredients, I was lucky that it worked out perfectly for me but would recommend that you follow the original instructions to avoid any unnecessary casualties.

1 Canelle et Vanille Sugar Dough Recipe

1 large bushel of gooseberries, approximately 3 cups

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar, this amount will depend on how tart your berries are

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons raw sugar

Cut half of the gooseberries in half and toss them into a large bowl along with the remaining half left whole. You could of course leave all of the berries whole but I like the texture better when some are cut in half, I think it adds to the gooeyness of the filling. Add the flour, sugar and salt to the berries and mix gently with your hands until they’re all coated in the dry mixture. Set aside.

Roll out your cold sugar dough until its about 1/8 of an inch thick, don’t worry if you don’t roll out a perfect circle, mine are always extremely imperfect which is part of the reason why I like making galettes so much.

Transfer the rolled out dough to a baking sheet.

Pour the gooseberry mixture into the center of the dough, leaving at least 2 inches around the outside. Gently fold the tart dough over the berries overlapping as you go.

Brush the outside of the galette with the egg wash and sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes or until the golden brown on the outside.

Allow the galette to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.

Serve warm with whipped cream.