Rebecca Firkser is an up and coming chef, writer, recipe developer, and the author of the forthcoming Galette, an entire cookbook dedicated to the not-so-simple art of the perfect fold-over pie. She spoke to Matfer about her new book and a small-but-mighty kitchen tool that played an important role: the Matfer Bourgeat Nylon Dough Scraper.
On Creating a Cornerstone Cookbook Recipe
MB: Everyone has an opinion on the perfect pie dough- the variations can be endless and very subtle. How did you create a cornerstone recipe that served you throughout this book?
RF: “There’s a lot of technique in writing a pastry recipe,” she says, “but it was important to me to use straightforward language—as if I were just talking through the recipe to a friend in my kitchen.”
“A standard American pie dough is usually 3 parts flour to 2 parts fat to 1 part water. “I started there, but adjusted to get a dough that’s a bit richer—closer to 2.5 parts fat—and found that slightly less than 1 part water often works better, depending on the butter and room temperature.”
Interpreting (and Reinterpreting) the Galette
MB: In the U.S., “galette” usually means a rustic, free-form tart. But in France, the word spans an entire universe of pastry types—from flaky cakes to savory crepes. How did you expand the “Galette Universe” for your readers?
RF: “I took a lot of inspiration from other French dishes that are called “galettes” and turned them into the open-faced rustic pies that my book is focused on, like galette des rois (a puff pastry cake filled with frangipane), my version of which is baked in a fluted tart pan to mimic the classic’s scored top; and the Breton sarrasin galette (a buckwheat flour crepe filled with ham, cheese, and an egg)—my version use the buckwheat flour variation of the crust recipe and a slightly different folding technique to make individual galettes that look like the square crepes.
A very French one is inspired by a rotisserie lunch I had in Paris (the galette in my book has potatoes, pulled chicken, a splash of wine, and herby chevre.)
Why Rebecca Swears by the Matfer Nylon Dough Scraper
MB: You met the Matfer Nylon Dough Scraper when working with noted fan, Alison Roman. What do you love about it?
RF: I first got to know the Matfer dough scraper when I was working with Alison Roman on set for various photo and video shoots—I’d only ever worked with thicker, more dull dough scrapers (and metal bench scrapers) in the past, and I loved that the Matfer one was flexible but also thin enough to effectively cut dough. I also love that it’s so lightweight, it can easily tuck into my knife roll when I’m cooking outside of my own kitchen.
Her favorite features:
- Lightweight and packable (perfect for off-site cooking)
- Flexible but firm (sharp enough for portioning dough)
- Chef-grade performance (accessible for home cooks)
Professional Tools in the Home Kitchen
MB: Do you think home bakers should invest in professional-grade tools?
RF: “There are so many flashy direct-to-consumer brands out there, but a fun social media presence and cute colors doesn’t mean a product works well, or will last for a long time. Sometimes legacy brands’ products can cost a bit more than alternatives marketed to home cooks, but more often than not that’s only because they’re made from higher-quality materials that are likely to last longer even with continued use, and work more efficiently at that. “
