saskatoon & raspberry galette with almond buttermilk crust

It was near the end of august and we were visiting my in-laws at their home on their acreage. "Next week, the saskatoons will be ready, bring your pail and we'll pick them" my father in law said to us.

The next week, we were out among the trees with pails. The saskatoon berry trees are small but yielded a lot of berries. Apparantly, the berries become ripe roughly all at the same time, unlike raspberries, which you must pick every couple of days.

I had never had saskatoons before. They are similar in appearance and taste to blueberries, though I find saskatoons to have more crunch. Some people say it has a slight nutty flavor to it. I ate them by handful after I cleaned them. I really enjoyed them.

I have made this galette recipe often throughout the summer and fall season. I love it because it's easier than a pie to make and I'm all about shortcuts. Free-forming the dough is a lot easier than rolling out into a pie pan, if you ask me.

You can use frozen berries, I have tried it once or twice, though you may have to add more flour to the the filling to absorb the extra moisture.

A nice reminder of the taste of summer, starting this december month.

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saskatoon & raspberry galette with almond buttermilk crust

crust:
1-3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup ground almonds
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup buttermilk

filling:
7 cups berries of your choice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp flour

I make my crust in a food processor but you may do it in a bowl and use a knives or a pastry blender to cut butter.

In a food processor, mix together flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt and butter. Pulse until you get large crumbs forming. Slowly add buttermilk and pulse until all blended. Do not overmix.

Remove from processor and shape into a ball. Place it in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic film, for about 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients and set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out onto floured surface to about a 15 inch diameter. Transfer to parchment paper and baking sheet. Spoon the filling onto the pastry, leaving about a 4 inch border on the ends. Fold over ends atop of filling.

(Optional: I have sometimes sprinkled brown sugar atop the edges to give a nice sweetness and look to the crust)

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350F for about 45 minutes. The crust will be golden. Let cool on wire rack for about 20 minutes. Serve.

Recipe adapted from: Almond Buttermilk Crust: Canadian Living Market Fresh Special Issue Magazine, Summer 2008.