Sweet Cherry and Lime Galette
A special Just a Bite and recipe from Rebecca Firkser
Cake friends,
Summer produce is finally in full swing here in New York, and we couldn’t be happier. Since we’re heading into a holiday weekend—a perfect excuse to bake something buttery and fruit-forward—we’re excited to share a recipe and short Q&A with Rebecca Firkser, whose debut cookbook, Galette!, was just released. Rebecca is a food writer, stylist, and recipe developer based in New York, and her galettes strike just the right balance of flaky, rustic, and celebratory.
1. You’re making dessert. What is it? How do you make it?
If it's not a galette (that's usually what people ask me to make these days!) I like to make sundaes. Vanilla or mint chip ice cream base. Drizzle tahini over the ice cream. Big spoonful of softly whipped cream (with a pinch of salt and splash of vanilla). Top with a Luxardo cherry and, if I have them, rainbow sprinkles or candied fennel seeds.
2. Someone is making you a dessert. What do you ask for?
I only have one answer: plush almond cake, specifically this one from Lindsey Shere’s Chez Panisse Desserts, adapted in NYT Cooking. I don't need the peaches or cream, I just want to pick up slices of cake with my hands and gossip with whoever made it while we eat.
3. You’ve transformed into a pastry. What are you and how are you consumed?
In moments over the past couple years, I honestly have felt I am a galette (hopefully a sour cherry one). I'd like to be sliced, wrapped up tenderly in a paper towel, and eaten at the beach.
4. Tell us about a dessert scene in a work of art/cinema/culture/literature that you’ll never forget?
This is a deep cut: I think a lot about the Victorian birthday spread in the American Girl Doll book Happy Birthday Samantha. If I remember correctly, something goes awry and the beautifully molded hand-churned ice cream looks incredible but turns out too salty. I definitely owned the toy version of the tiny, perfect pastel-frosted petit fours and ice cream bombes. I should make these. I don't know why I haven't done this yet!
5. Share with us a baking hack you can’t live without?
Maybe so well known it doesn't count as a hack but: I truly never buy buttermilk, I just mix whatever milk I have in the fridge with a little white vinegar.
6. Do you have a particular ingredient that you are obsessed with lately?
I'm loving hōjicha these days. I made a hōjicha affogato the other day (perfect) and it's great in cookie dough. I also really want to whip it into cream cheese frosting.
7. Tell us about what has been the most rewarding and most challenging part of working on a cookbook?
The most rewarding part of working on Galette! is when people tell me they've made and enjoyed one of the recipes! I'm especially delighted when people say it helped them overcome their fear of making galette/pie dough. Single-subject books can get a little monotonous, so the most challenging part was I was keeping the whole thing engaging. My goal was to focus on the pastry without being repetitive. I think I mostly achieved that goal, but you will have to flip through the book to see for yourself.
Excerpted from Galette! by Rebecca Firkser ( Artisan Books ). Copyright © 2025.
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Support: Earlier this month, we teamed up with our friends at One Love Community Fridge (OLCF), a network of eight fridges across NYC (plus one in Seattle). OLCF fridges rely on a vast network of volunteers to pack up and deliver food donations from produce suppliers, local restaurants, etc, but they’re also always open to donations from the neighborhood itself. In that spirit, we brought together the baking community to make over a thousand treats for our larger New York community, which we packed up and distributed in the fridges. The intention was simple: Food access isn’t just about nutrition—it’s also about pleasure and joy.
We expected delicious treats, but we were blown away by the level of execution, creativity, and care. Think: Hojicha butter mochi, mini rhubarb olive oil cakes, caramelized banana cake, and classic chocolate chip cookies. Thank you to everyone who shared their time, talent, and eggs! Also, thank you to Sanzo and bótani café for generously donating seltzer and coffee to fuel the packing, and One Love for sharing their studio with us. If you have excess brownies from recipe testing, fruit from the market, or other food to share, you can find a community fridge here. And if you’re outside of New York and want to support their important work, donate here.
One of my favourite newsletters to receive. Wonderful interview!!
Thank you so much 💕💕💕