Shared by Rachel Simons
Shared by Rachel Simons
Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette with Halva Cream
Yield: 4 to 6 servingsTime: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes chilling time
Rhubarb and Strawberry Galette with Halva Cream
Yield: 4 to 6 servingsTime: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes chilling timeFamily Journey
Sydney, Australia
New York City
For Rachel Simons, rhubarb is more than just a seasonal ingredient, it’s a taste of home. Growing up in Australia, Rachel spent countless hours in the kitchen with her mom, baking apple and rhubarb crumbles and simmering rhubarb compote to spoon over yogurt.
It’s a flavor she returns to whenever rhubarb is in season — she can’t get enough of its bright, tangy charm. It’s balanced with sweet strawberries in this rustic galette in her new cookbook “Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed.” And, since Rachel is the co-owner of the tahini and halva company Seed + Mill, naturally, the galette is laced with tahini and finished with generous spoonfuls of halva cream.
Cooking note: This recipe makes enough dough for two galettes, so you can keep one disc of dough wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the freezer for up to three months.
Read more about Rachel’s family in “A Schnitzel Recipe That’s Traveled to Hong Kong, London, New York, and Beyond” and try her recipes for schnitzel with cherry sauce, crispy mashed potatoes, fennel and herb salad, and chocolate tahini truffles.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup ice water, plus more as needed
For the filling
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed or store-bought orange juice
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¾ pound rhubarb (about 4 large stalks), trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
For the topping
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon raw Demerara sugar
- 1 tablespoon untoasted sesame seeds
For the halva cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 ounces halva, crumbled
Preparation
Step 1
Make the dough: Make sure you're working in a cool workspace — your hands, surface, and kitchen should all be as cold as possible. Keep the butter and flour in the fridge until you're ready to use them.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.
Step 3
Add the cold butter and quickly cut it into the flour mixture, using your thumbs to flatten the butter in your palms. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
Step 4
Add the ice water and knead just until incorporated. Transfer the dough to a cold work surface and knead gently until the shaggy dough just holds together in a ball. If the dough is crumbly when squeezed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, a little at a time, until it holds together. Don’t worry if there are visible flattened streaks of butter in the dough — this will create flakiness when baked.
Step 5
Divide the dough into two balls, flatten each into a 1-inch-thick disc, and loosely wrap in plastic wrap.
Step 6
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
Step 7
Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425F.
Step 8
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine orange juice and granulated sugar. Add the rhubarb and strawberries and toss until well coated. Set aside.
Step 9
Assemble the gallette: Remove one disc of dough from the fridge and place it on a floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper. Allow it to warm slightly, then roll it out into a circle about 16 inches wide. The edges do not need to be perfect — rustic is beautiful!
Step 10
If using a floured surface, carefully transfer the rolled dough onto a piece of parchment paper.
Step 11
Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of tahini over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1½-inch border around the edge.
Step 12
Sprinkle the almond flour evenly over the tahini layer.
Step 13
Add the flour to the rhubarb-strawberry mixture and toss gently to combine. Pile the fruit over the almond flour. The fruit will cook down, so mound it about 2 inches high in the center.
Step 14
Fold the dough edges over the fruit, letting the folds naturally overlap.
Step 15
Brush the folded edges with beaten egg, then sprinkle with raw sugar and sesame seeds.
Step 16
Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and transfer the parchment paper with the galette onto it.
Step 17
Immediately place the baking sheet back in the oven and reduce the temperature to 375F. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. If the crust starts to darken too much, cover the edges loosely with foil.
Step 18
Make the Halva Cream: While the galette bakes, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until soft peaks form.
Step 19
Gently fold in the crumbled halva using a flexible spatula.
Step 20
Serve the galette warm or at room temperature, with a generous spoonful of halva cream.
Step 21
The galette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Excerpted from Sesame by Rachel Simons (Ten Speed Press). Copyright © 2025.
