Houston Chronicle

How to make a gorgeous galette with seasonal Texas dewberries

- Anita Jaisinghan­i is the chef-owner of Pondicheri restaurant in Houston. Her website is india1948.com. Contact her at anita@pondicheri.com.

Though we are all familiar with raspberrie­s and blackberri­es, there is a wild and delicious Texas cousin that grows along thickets and pastures: Meet the dewberry.

Common throughout the Northern Hemisphere and considered a beneficial weed, the dewberry plant features leaves can be used to make teas, and the dewberry itself — smaller, sweeter and less seedy than the blackberry — can be used in jams, cobblers and other desserts. Usually foraged in the wild, dewberries are in season for two to three weeks in May and sometimes make an appearance at farmers stands.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend with a 3-year-old son, Owen, who likes to pick them at his grandparen­ts’ ranch outside Houston. He refers to them as “two-berries” since he has permission to eat only every other one he picks.

When Owen brought me dewberries this week, I wanted to do something special with them — so here is a galette that is more of a meal than dessert. It’s my favorite kind of food: crisp, creamy with a serrano pepper kick and a slightly sweet-tart topping of dewberries. Enjoy it for lunch with a crisp salad and a chardonnay.

 ?? James Lenhart / Contributo­r ?? The sweet-tart Dewberry Galette is more meal than dessert.
James Lenhart / Contributo­r The sweet-tart Dewberry Galette is more meal than dessert.
 ??  ?? ANITA JAISINGHAN­I
ANITA JAISINGHAN­I

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