Individual Strawberry Galettes

     I hadn't planned on making a dessert, but I kept eying the strawberries in my kitchen that needed to be eaten... soon.  If nothing else, I would slice the berries and drizzle them with sweetened cream.  That all changed when I found a little stack of pastry rounds in my freezer.  I am still (happily) finding the remains of the overly ambitious, month-long preparation for my daughter's high school graduation party.  Once I saw the ready-to-use pastry, it sealed the deal for Individual Strawberry Galettes.
     I always use fresh strawberries in my tarts.  Baking strawberries is a rare occurrence in my kitchen and usually only happens if I'm mixing assorted berries to top a coffee cake.  This was a delicious change.
     There is one Individual Strawberry Galette remaining this morning.  It may have to be my breakfast!

                             
               … Individual Strawberry Galettes …

Ingredients:
• Galette pastry (recipe below)
• 3 cups sliced organic strawberries
• 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon minute tapioca
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, plus additional sugar for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• Heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
1.  Take the rolled Pâte Brisée from the refrigerator and place the 4 discs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Keep refrigerated until ready to fill.
2.  Combine the strawberries and tapioca in a bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl,stir together the 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and the flour.  Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and sprinkle the sugar-flour mixture over each disc.  Mound the sliced strawberries onto the middle of the pastry, leaving about an inch of the edge exposed.  Sprinkle approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar over each strawberry mound.  Fold the exposed dough around the strawberries and pleat.  Brush the pleated dough with heavy cream.  Sprinkle more sugar on the cream coated pastry. 
3.  Place the baking sheet on a middle rack in the oven.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden.
4.  Remove baking sheet from the oven.  Serve the tarts warm or at room temperature with sweetened whipped heavy cream or crème fraîche. 

                                                   …Pâte Brisée…

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. ice water

1.  Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the water and slowly pulse just until the pastry begins to hold together. Form  disc and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.
2.  Remove dough from the refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces.  Dust each piece lightly with flour and roll between sheets of plastic wrap to about 6-inches in diameter.  Chill until ready to fill.

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