RHUBARB GALETTE WITH PISTACHIO FRANGIPANE AND LILLET

(adapted from The Violet Bakery Cookbook)
serves 8
 
For the pastry-
 
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon rhubarb bitters or apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons ice cold water

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. In a small bowl, combine the bitters or vinegar and water and set this in the fridge. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and incorporate using a bench scraper or your fingertips until you have irregularly sized crumbs. Gradually add the cold water mixture to the flour/butter, distributing the liquid evenly with your fingertips. If the dough seems a bit dry, you can add an additional teaspoon of cold water. Gather the dough together and shape it into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll the dough into a circle about 12” in diameter. Slide the pastry (on the parchment) onto a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the frangipane and filling.
 
For the frangipane-
 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons ground pistachios
1 teaspoon Lillet
1 egg yolk
4 teaspoons heavy cream
 
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the pistachios, beating well and then the Lillet, egg yolk, and heavy cream. The mixture should be creamy and well combined. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate.
 
For the filling-
 
21 ounces rhubarb, rinsed, leaves and tough stems removed (save the ends- not the leaves- for the glaze)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon Lillet
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water
 
Slice the trimmed rhubarb stalks into three or four pieces each (about 4”-5” long) and ¼” wide. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt, flour, cardamom, orange zest, and Lillet. Add the rhubarb pieces to the bowl and toss to coat.
 
Retrieve the pastry from the fridge and place a circle of rhubarb pieces around the perimeter of the pastry, leaving a 1½” border of dough.  Roll the edge of the pastry up over the rhubarb, creating a fluted edge. Spread the frangipane (easier to spread if room temperature) evenly over the exposed pastry. Pile the remaining rhubarb over the frangipane. Toss the cold butter pieces over the rhubarb. Place the unbaked galette in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to set the pastry.
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Retrieve the galette from the refrigerator and brush the outer edge with egg wash. (If desired, you can add chilled pastry cut-outs around the border.) Bake the galette on the middle rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes, total. (While the galette is baking, prepare the glaze.) After the first 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and rotate the baking sheet. After the next 15 minutes, use a spatula to gently flatten the rhubarb. The galette pastry should be deeply golden and the rhubarb softened and beginning to bubble around the edges. Remove the galette from the oven and brush with the glaze. Loosely cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
 
For the glaze-

​5 ounces rhubarb ends
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons Lillet
generous peel of fresh orange
a few stalks of Angelica or a few stalks of tarragon (optional)
 
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the rhubarb ends with the sugar, Lillet, orange peel and optional Angelica or tarragon. Cook on medium/low heat until the rhubarb softens. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Brush the glaze over the warm galette.