BILBERRY GALETTE WITH MEADOWSWEET DUST

BILBERRIES Vaccinium myrtillus

These may have a different name where you live; they’re also known as wimberries, blueberries, huckleberries or even mucky-mouths. You’ll find them in hilly places often right beside heather.

MEADOWSWEET Filipendula ulmaria

Meadowsweet is a chef’s delight. Found beside country roads, streams and rivers, its fragrantly fluffy blossoms smell and taste like almonds. To make the dust, simply pick it on a dry day then crumble the flowers onto a sheet of clean white paper. Leave the dust for a few days to dry then store it in an airtight jar.

TO MAKE THE PASTRY…

225g plain flour (plus a little extra for dusting) 50g salted butter, cold, diced 50g caster sugar 4 x medium egg yolks

1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, then add the butter and mix them together between your fingertips until they form ‘breadcrumbs’. 2. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir them until they combine, wrap the mixture in clingfilm and refrigerate it for half an hour.

TO MAKE THE GALETTE…

650g bilberries 3 tablespoons caster sugar 2 teaspoons cornflour 1 tablespoon fruit jam (preferably bilberry) 100g ricotta cheese, cream or ice cream (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C. 2. Mix the berries with the sugar and cornflour. 3. Take a large sheet of nonstick baking paper (approx 30cm2) and dust it with flour. 4. Take the cold pastry and roll it out on the paper until it’s 23cm in diameter. Use the paper to lift the pastry into a circular, loose-bottomed 23cm flan tray. The edges of the pastry will hang over the tray.

5. Pile the fruit onto the pastry then fold the excess pastry over to form the galette. 6. Bake the galette for about 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is crisp. 7. Glaze the galette with the jam and leave it to cool before removing it from the tin.

8. Lightly dust it with meadowsweet and serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese, cream or ice cream.