Personal Strawberry Soda Galettes with a Whipped Strawberry Soda Cream

Hello, friend.

So. Two immensely exciting things have happened since we last talked. Firstly, I finally got moved into my new apartment. Oh yeah! I never knew that moving from one place to another would be such a strenuous adventure. With days of tireless planning, countless trips to Wal-Mart, and all the while taking moments out of my hectic schedule to mentally decompress and take it all in, I somehow made it through without a hitch. Quickly as the day came, it went. The apartment was set, and every box unloaded. Jon and my parents said their goodbyes and closed the door behind them as I was left alone. Solitude. Soon the realization that I was living on my own for the first time had ultimately set in. It was a strange mixture of joy and fear. To combat the uncertainty within myself, I decided to celebrate my new found adult state with yogurt topped with sliced peaches, chia seeds, and a drizzle of honey. Unfortunately, I was without an Internet connection for most of the weekend and into the early week. So I spent my time driving around campus, walking downtown, perusing through antique bookstores, having a mid-afternoon iced latte at a quirky café, and working on the blog, which brings me to my second point.

Crazy news here people. I’m so excited to announce that I am collaborating with the Homer Soda Company on this blog post. The company is a local name where I’m from, selling vintage glass bottled sodas in their store and online. Plus, they host an area-wide soda festival over the summer months. I wrote about them a time before for in my Blue & Mellow recipe. With an inventory list from cream sodas, fruit sodas, and  even coffee sodas, Homer Soda legitimately has a different flavor for every day of the week (maybe even the year). There hometown vibe mixed with new-aged progression is what I truly love about there brand and their product. Their ability to intermix old and new, rustic and modern, and vintage and deco is what excites me the most and drives me to inspiration. Plus, I believe there is nothing quite like chugging down a cold, crisp tasting soda straight from a bottle. I know there are haters out their who say otherwise but aren’t we supposed to pity the misguided?

For this recipe, I wanted to use a popular summertime fruit and pair it with a soda of a similar taste and flavor profile. I craved for the taste of strawberries. Strawberries have such a sweet humbleness to them that makes me think back to my summers as a child. With memories of playing in the twilight, chasing fireflies, and munching on freshly rinsed strawberries, these red decadent berries have a special place in my culinary heart. For the recipe, I contemplated the idea of doing a tart or maybe even hand pies, but the thought of personal galettes had me instantly hooked. 

When deciding which soda to use in the recipe, I decided that Cool Mountain Strawberry was the obvious choice. The taste was sweet, fruity and had a subtle tartness that balanced exceptionally well with the natural sweetness of the strawberries. Just a couple tablespoons of soda in the filling fully accentuated the flavor dynamics. As an added teaser, I decided to make a whipped cream and add a few shots of the soda. What produced was a lovely pink hue colored cream that mated exquisitely with the bright reds of the galettes. These person galettes are the perfect end of summer dessert for an upcoming dinner party, special gathering, or just in need of a celebration. 

Follow the Homer Soda Company on Facebook to see any future collaborations I have with them. 

Personal Strawberry Soda Galettes with a Whipped Strawberry Soda Cream

Adapted from the NY Times Cooking recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• Heavy cream, as needed
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into big pieces
• Juice of one lemon
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
• ½ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons Cool Mountain Strawberry Soda
• 4 to 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons Cool Mountain Strawberry Soda

Directions

1. For the crust. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or in a large bowl, pulse or mix flour, sugar, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, lightly beat the egg, then add just enough cream to get to 1/3 cup. Lightly whisk the egg and cream together.
2. Add cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse or use a pastry cutter or just your fingers to break up the butter. You’re looking for chickpea-size chunks of butter. Drizzle the egg mixture (up to 1/4 cup) over the dough and pulse or stir until it just starts to come together but is still mostly large crumbs. Mix in lemon juice and zest.
3. Put the dough on the lightly floured counter and form it until it comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours, or up to 3 days (I typically refrigerated mine overnight).  When ready, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into six squares. Roll each square of dough until 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill while preparing the filling.
4. Toss together the strawberries, all but a tablespoon of sugar, the salt, strawberry soda, and the cornstarch. Pile fruit onto each dough circle, leaving one 1/2-inch border. Gently fold the pastry over the fruit, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Brush pastry generously with leftover egg and cream mixture. Sprinkle remaining sugar on the crust.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling, bubbles up vigorously, and the crust is golden. Cool for at least 20 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
6. For the whipped cream. Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Doing this will allow the cream to stay cold and create stiff peaks quicker. Place the sugar into a mixing bowl and add the heavy cream. With a hand mixer or metal whisk, whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the strawberry soda in one tablespoon increments until desired taste is reached. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 hours.  When ready to use, whisk for 10 to 15 seconds to reincorporate the air back into the cream.

{Click here for the printable recipe}