π Day Cardamom Blackberry Galette

Happy Pi day! I was reminded earlier this week by a friend (thanks Jackie!) that it was coming up. Coupled with a blackberry sale at the local grocery store I decided it was time to make a *rustic* galette (when are they anything other than rustic?) I started with a basic recipe from Williams Sonoma and made some modifications. I’ve always been a fan of cardamom, vanilla’s sharper cousin. Equally fragrant, it has a slight kick like cinnamon that offers a pleasant balance to fruits. I added a generous amount to the dough. The other edits are in the recipe below—white whole wheat flour for the pie crust, liberal lemon zest, and a whipped cream garnish. This recipe was pretty quick to make since your filling of fresh berries needs minimal prep and the dough comes together effortlessly in a food processor. And in the 25 minutes it takes to bake you’ll have more than enough time to clean up, especially if you’ve got someone to help out.

||Cardamom Blackberry Galette||

Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Makes one 9" galette 

Ingredients

For the crust dough~

• 1 & 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 Tb. ground cardamom
• 8 Tb (1 stick) salted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup ice water 

For the berry filling~

• 3 Tb. granulated sugar
• zest of 1 large lemon
• four 6oz. pints of blackberries, rinsed and patted dry
• Juice of half a large lemon, ~ 2 Tb.
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 Tb. flour

For the whipped cream~

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tb. sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• optional: 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

**Optional: egg wash-- 1 egg + 1 Tb. water mixed together

Directions

1. Combine flour, salt and cardamom in food processor and pulse to combine. Gradually add in cubes of butter, pulsing between each addition until mixture resembles moist sand. Drizzle in ice water 1-2 Tb. at a time and pulse after each addition. Mixture should come together--add 1-2tsp additional water if dough is still sandy. 
2. Transfer dough to large square of parchment paper (you'll use this to bake!) and shape into disk, wrap in parchment paper and chill in refrigerator. 
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, add sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest in sugar to release oil before adding remaining ingredients (it's best to add blackberries last). Using a spatula, gently fold to coat blackberries in mixture. 
4. Once berries are ready, take out dough from fridge and roll into a flat disk ~12 inches in diameter and uniformly ~1/4" thick. For a round crust (and extra dough for decorations), I inverted a pie plate and trimmed off the excess. Transfer parchment paper with dough to a baking sheet.
5. Add berries to middle of galette dough and use a spatula to spread out evenly, leaving the last 2-3" from the edge clear. 
6. Pick a side and start folding up the crust edge over the berries, pleating loosely as necessary. 
7. If using an egg wash, brush crust before baking 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool before serving.
8. To make the whipped cream, combine all ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. If you're on the go or don't have a hand mixer on hand, place all ingredients in a sealable and preferably chilled 4-cup container and shake vigorously for 10-15 minutes. 
9. Serve and enjoy! Perhaps while trying to memorize extra Pi digits?