Recipes: Rustic Rhubarb, Strawberry & Chamomile Galette + Edible Flower Potluck!

Posted by Claire Ragozzino

Full Moon Blessings! Last night was the Lunar Beltane and full moon in Scorpio. Traditionally, Beltane is a Celtic festival in celebration of fertility and the blossoming of Spring. This full moon is also known as the Flower Moon, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a virtual potluck of edible flower recipes! My sweet friend, Renee, over at Will Frolic For Food has organized an incredible online gathering of über-talented food bloggers to share their creations using edible flowers. Hop onto instagram #frolicforflowers and head to their sites to see what’s on the menu for this fabulous feast of flowers…

I’ve always loved working with flowering herbs. My kitchen looks like an apothecary, stocked with jars of everything from rose petals, red clover, dandelion and calendula. I buy my dried flowering herbs from Pacific Botanicals (they sometimes even have fresh available!) and harvest what I can locally in season, drying them to save through the winter.  I traditionally use them in nurturing infusions and tinctures to reap their many benefits. But with the exception of hibiscus and lavender, I rarely flex my creative muscles to see how I can incorporate more of my favorite herbal allies into my everyday meals. Since full moon is a time to enjoy your richer foods and celebrate life’s fullness, a dessert using spring’s ripe strawberries and rhubarb paired with the soft sweetness of chamomile came to life.

Everyone thinks of chamomile for one purpose: better sleep. I remember always having a box of that Celestial Seasonings chamomile tea sitting around my house as a kid, and almost always next to a clover honey bear bottle. There was and still is something so comforting about sipping that sweet mix of chamomile and honey to unwind at the end of the day.  If you look at the herbal wisdom behind chamomile, it’s carried a long tradition as a gentle, healing plant. It’s a relaxant and nervine – meaning it helps to calm the mind and relax the muscles. Traditionally, it’s been used for soothing nerves, digestive upsets, aiding restful sleep and relieving muscle cramps. It’s gentle nature makes it a safe edible flower everyone can enjoy.  Depending on the varietal you find, the flavor can range from sweet to lightly bitter.  I used German chamomile for this recipe, which is the sweeter of the varieties I have tried. Egyptian chamomile also has a light and mild flavor.

To incorporate the chamomile, I simply pulsed it in the food processor with oat flour and pink salt until it was combined into a light flour. I also made the crust two ways, once using chamomile tea I steeped overnight and another time using water. I found the variation didn’t make too big of a difference, and that the dried flowers were powerful enough to come through as a light undertone in the flavor of the baked crust. It offered a subtle sweetness to balance out the tart rhubarb in the filling.

With May’s arrival and Spring in full swing now, head to your local farmer’s market and see what herbal edibles are out now. I’d love to hear how you incorporate edible flowers into your culinary adventures. Be sure to hop onto instagram and check out the hashtag #frolicforflowers to see full flower potluck!

RUSTIC RHUBARB, STRAWBERRY & CHAMOMILE GALETTE 

Gluten-Free Pastry Dough
2 cups gluten-free oat flour (or flour of your choice)
2/3 cup dried chamomile flowers
1/3 cup coconut sugar
¼ tsp sea salt
6 tbsp cold ghee, cubed (or coconut oil)
3-4 tbsp ice cold water (or cold chamomile tea) 

Combine first the flour, chamomile flowers, coconut sugar and salt in a food processor. Process into a fine flour. Add the cubed ghee slowly and then the ice water or chamomile tea, process lightly until it begins to form a ball of dough. Remove from food processor and shape dough into a round ball. Wrap in plastic and lightly press down on the dough to form a disc. Set in freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Rhubarb Strawberry Filling
4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed & cut into ½-inch slices
1 lemon, juiced & zested
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup raw honey
12 strawberries, trimmed & sliced

In a small saucepan, heat the rhubarb, lemon juice/zest and cinnamon. Cook on medium to lightly reduce. You want the rhubarb to soften but not completely reduce to a jam. After 3-4 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the raw honey and half of the strawberries. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F. Remove dough from freezer. Set a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out evenly onto the parchment sheet. Use extra flour on your rolling pin if you find the dough is sticking. Place onto a baking sheet and fill the center with the rhubarb strawberry filling, leaving about 2 inches of dough around the edges. Layer the remaining sliced strawberries on top of the filling. Fold the edges of the dough onto filling. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and slightly crispy. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve on it’s own, or alongside your favorite ice cream. I love a scoop Larry & Luna’s Coconut Bliss Ice Cream with this…or Snixy Kitchen’s homemade chamomile honeycomb ice cream (wow!). Full moon blessings friends!

Makes one 9-inch galette