“Flops are a part of life’s menu and I’ve never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses.” —Rosalind Russell.
Me either. Rhubarb resonates summer afternoons of my early entrepreneur days in our yard. My grocery store sign set up under the dwarf mulberry tree, the hanging branches creating an enclosure behind my stand.
I remember pulling the fat rhubarb stalks from Mr. Delio’s garden bordering the alley. The giant green leaves with prominent red veins perfect for my butcher shop steaks. Cutting them with a butter knife, then wrapping, placing them into a bag with a dozen stone eggs and a sack of sand flour.
My customers stood in line—as long as I included popcorn and a rainbow-colored-brushed-aluminum glass of Kool-Aid, my mom supplied. She’d faint if she knew those big fat juicy leaves I was cutting-up and handing-out were poisonous!
Last week, I couldn’t resist the scarlet stalks at the Farmer’s Market. And I’ve wanted to make a Galette. I love the rustic look of a Galette. What if I improvised a recipe for a Rhubarb Strawberry one? Last year at the market I bought an Apple Galette and thought— it can’t be that hard.
Slice the Rhubarb
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Vincent van Gogh.
Wash, Hull and Slice Strawberries
Macerate Filling Ingredients
Rolling In Dough
Pinch and Press Around the Sides
I baked it in the morning and brought my Rhubarb Strawberry Galette to Mike’s Birthday Party. Where there already was an Oreo Ice Cream Cake and a Chocolate Whipped Cream Angel Food Cake— a Galette— as a surprise.
My surprise! From the first taste— my Rhubarb Strawberry Galette was decried as dubious delusion. Greg and Marcy let me know!
The crust salty as soda bread; I used salted butter. The filling sour as envy; I cut down on the sugar (it seemed like too much.)
Well, to quote anonymous, “Two wrongs are only the beginning.”
Therefore, with the finesse of a Broadway producer— I dumped it on the spot. And decided to ‘abandon the search for the truth and settle for a good fantasy.’
Ready to Bite
Hope you like the pictures. And if you have a great recipe— please send.
Italian Handful 
I know a little girl just like her, what else did you have at that stand?
I liked the salty sweet… one mans junk is anothers treasure.
However, you saved me a Zumba class worth of calories.
Know your audience, they don’t like mushrooms either.
You’re right you funny girl!
I love the Store I can see the store and I’m in line waiting for some cool aid. I love Rhubarb but it does need lots of sugar. I had a rhubarb bread that was good a few weeks ago that Donna made, I’ll see if I can get the recipe.
If you make it again using less salt and more sugar I would be happy to give it another try.
Next Spring…
~ I bake with salted butter all the time, but then adjust any salt in the recipe by cutting it in half.
~ Just made my first Rhubarb recipe (untried) this afternoon: Rhubarb Conserve and I’m fearful it’s TOO sweet….so these Rhubarb culinary experiments can go either way. But I know I like Rhubarb, so will try again.
BTW, your Rhubarb Galette photos are gorgeous! That’s what brought me here. I think I might have not thrown the whole thing out, but sprinkled it with more sugar and topped it off with vanilla ice cream! Possibly yum, unless it was terribly, terribly sour.
Thank you Cynthe, I’ll try again for sure using some of your suggestions. Your blog is beautiful and I appreciate all you have to say. Good luck in the Marin County Fair, we’re cheering you on!
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