First of all, I must apologize for the darkness of the picture above. Tom gets home from work about 8 pm and it’s already dark by the time we are eating dinner! (winter is coming….)
Here is a great way to use up ripe beefsteak tomatoes. This recipe is from Bon Appetit - I changed it slightly - and also next time I want to roll the crust thinner and use more tomatoes. I might even cook the tomatoes down like I do for a fresh pomodoro sauce - just let them release water that way instead of the way the original recipe has you do it. Also I would add basil. Also it was too salty done the original way. However - still delicious! Who doesn’t like pie for dinner? And this is so much easier than a pie! I love making galettes with sweet fruit, but this savory application is also delicious. I could use this crust for so many things - roasted peppers and shallots come to mind. If you like summer squash, you could do a saute of zucchini for the filling. This would also work well with winter squashes and brown butter and sage. You can switch out the parmesan to some other kind of cheese, too - or ricotta. Ricotta would have been good in this one and would have added some creaminess. Clearly we all need to experiment in savory applications of galette and report back.
“Tomato Galette:
(this is the original recipe and next to it I have put my own changes, but see above for other ideas and changes)
2 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting if you need it (I like to roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper, because I don’t like floury crusts)
2-1/4 t kosher salt, divided
1-1/2 sticks (or 3/4 C) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 T apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 lb heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4” thick (or you could use whatever tomatoes you have on hand, but the fresher the better!)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 oz. firm cheese (such as cheddar, gouda, asiago), finely grated (about 1-1/2 C) (I used parmesan and only about a half cup)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
salt and pepper
lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon (I skipped this)
1 T finely chopped chives (I skipped this)
Pulse flour and 1-1/4 t salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl; drizzle with vinegar and 1/4 C ice water. Mix with a fork, adding more water as needed, until shaggy dough just comes together. Turn out on a work surface and lightly knead until no dry spots remain (do not overwork). (I did it all in the food processor.)
Pat into disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 400. Gently toss tomatoes, garlic, and 1 t salt in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes to release some liquid, drain and transfer to paper towels. (I drained longer since my tomatoes were fresher and juicier. Next time, as noted, I think I’ll cook them down a bit with the garlic and some basil and then drain.)
Unwrap dough and roll out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper (no flour for me, and two sheets of paper), to a 14” round about 1/8” thick. Transfer parchment with dough to a baking sheet. Scatter cheese over dough, leaving 1-1/2” border. Arrange tomatoes and garlic over cheese. Bring edges of dough up and over filling, overlapping as needed, to create about a 1-1/2” border; brush dough with egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. (I skipped this step because it was already late and noticed no problems)
Bake galette, rotating once, until crust is golden brown, about 55-65 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon zest and chives. (I skipped that part)”
We had some beautiful ‘pineapple’ tomatoes to use in this recipe, along with the other favorites I’ve already mentioned.
Do you like galettes? Do you make them frequently? Any recipes or tweaks you’d like to share?