Breakfast, lunch, or dinner: a vegetable galette is perfect for any meal, served warm or room temperature. Recently, Deb from Smitten Kitchen featured a beautiful zucchini and ricotta galette. I knew when I first laid eyes on it that this was right up my alley and I had to try it immediately. I have had an infatuation with galettes ever since I first saw the Apricot-Blackberry Galette in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. However, I've only attempted to make a galette once and the results were mediocre. Nonetheless, I have ogled over the rustic open faced pies on the glossy pages of magazines and cookbooks. Finally, I was inspired to attempt a galette once again and I am hooked. I can't wait to try new flavor combinations. I will be hitting the farmer's market tomorrow in search of local veggies and fresh goat cheese for another savory pie.
And this crust....AMAZING! I've been intimidated by pie crusts and this one is just delicious...buttery and flaky. Yum!
Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and refrigerated
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
Filling:
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 small Japanese eggplant, sliced
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Egg wash:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Begin by making the dough. Combine the flour and salt . Cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of small peas. In a separate bowl stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, and ice water. Add the liquid to the flour and stir just until the mixture begins to come together. With your hands, pat the mixture into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
For the filling lay out the slices of squash, eggplant, and tomatoes on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Allow the vegetables to sit for 30 minutes to pull out the moisture. With a paper towel wipe the salt and water off of the vegetables. In a bowl, mix the goat cheese, Parmesan, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil together and season with salt and pepper.
Assemble the galette: Preheat the oven to 400. Roll the dough into a 12 inch round on a lightly floured surface and then place on an ungreased baking sheet. Cover the dough with the goat cheese mixture leaving a 2 inches around the edge of the dough. Begin alternating the vegetables on the goat cheese, starting at the outer edge and working your way to the center in a circular pattern. Drizzle the vegetables with the last teaspoon of olive oil. Fold the edges of the dough over the veggies to form a crust around the pie, pinch the dough as needed to make it fit.
Bake the galette for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and top with the basil. Let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
