Recently, strawberries have been popping up in markets, probably due to the increasingly warm weather here in Southern California. Once strawberries start coming into season, I don’t think anyone can stop me from consuming a whole box alone. Seeing them in the market, the colors inspired me to attempt various doughs that don’t use artificial dyes.
Let’s consider this the first of many experiences trying to use food in alternative methods. Why not? Food can be fun.
I used Claire Saffitz’s buttery pie dough recipe from her Dessert Person cookbook. Other great options can be found on my Pinterest board here. (Some of my favorite online recipes include this flaky Pie Dough and Sally Baking Addiction’s Galettes.)
In an attempt to dye my pie dough purple, I tried Ube Powder. I bought it at a local ABC market, but you can find alternative products on Amazon. The power is derived from the meat of purple yams (ube), commonly used to add a mildly sweet flavor and a slightly purple color to foods such as sweet desserts, cakes, candy, ice cream, and jams.
There wasn’t a distinct taste or color to the dough. Next time, I want to try to dissolve the powder in milk, instead of straight in with the flour in efforts to achieve more intense color.
Inspiration
I tend to get myself into binge watching creators. Not too long ago, YouTuber Alia Zaita made a strawberry and rhubarb galette, which looked delicious. I’ve never had rhubarb and didn’t want to attempt an unknown ingredient at this time.
Mix it up!
Feel free to mix up any of the ingredients in the recipe with anything you have on hand. No fresh strawberries, use frozen. No lemon juice, another citrus or apple cider vinegar works just as well. Believe in yourself and go with the flow. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is to use all your senses to determine what you like the best.
If you enjoyed the recipe, have any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave a star rating or comment below!
Recipe
Half pint of strawberries
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
pie dough
1 egg (for the egg wash finish)
- Create pie dough recipe. If using a store bought box, prepare the dough per instructions.
- Mix strawberries, other fruit, corn starch, sugar and salt in a bowl. If desired, let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Lay the mix without the excess liquid in the center of the pie dough leaving about 2 inches around the edges. It’s best to level the fruit to ensure even cooking.
- Fold over the dough edges around the fruit. It’s up to your discretion how much dough or how perfect you want your galette to look.
- Bake at 400 F for 40-50 min until golden crust and jammy fruit.
Emily Frisan 
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