If you’re like me and your garden hasn’t gotten the memo that it’s October, you might find yourself with more red tomatoes than you know what to do with. Soups, sauces, salads, sliced, diced, baked, fried – I hope you’re not burnt out yet! I look forward to making this galette every year. From the moment the seeds go in the soil, I think about taking that first crispy, savory, gooey bite. It’s my reward for a season of hard work. Not quite your typical tomato pie, a galette is a rustic, savory pastry, baked without a pan. It has three parts: a buttery herb crust, a savory cheese filling and, of course, fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients
Herb Crust
– Butter (1 lb. or 2 sticks, frozen!)
– 2 cups flour
– A few tablespoons of ice water
– 1 egg (for egg wash)
– Herbs (1-2 tsps. each of thyme, basil and rosemary)
Filling
– 2 medium tomatoes
– 8 oz. feta
– 4 oz. cream cheese
– ½ cup grated Parmesan
– Herbs (1 tsp. each of thyme, basil and rosemary, and a couple shakes each of black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste)
– 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
– Water
Making the Herb Crust
This is my trusty pie crust recipe, from my hippocampus. This is actually my first time writing it down. Hear me out on the frozen, grated butter – it’s cleaner and easier than it sounds. Small pieces of cold butter will create steam as the crust bakes, creating little pockets of air, and thus, flaky layers. Try to bang out the dough quickly so the butter doesn’t melt, then put it in the refrigerator right away until it’s ready to roll out.
1. Sift flour into a large bowl.
2. Stir in herbs.
3. Grate the frozen butter into the flour, stirring as you go to coat the butter pieces in flour so they don’t stick together.
4. Begin kneading the dough, adding ice water until a consistent texture is achieved.
5. Roll into a ball, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Making the Filling
An electric mixer comes in handy here. If you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast, it’s just what it sounds like. It’s a natural food made of inactive yeast cells (a strain called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same used for brewing and bread baking), sold as yellow flakes or powder. It has a strong, savory, nutty flavor similar to Parmesan and is often used in dairy-free cheese substitutes, or as a condiment. It’s a great flavor enhancer and a good source of complete protein and B vitamins. I add it almost everywhere I use cheese, because I love the taste. I wouldn’t dream of making this recipe without it. Try it!
1. Break up feta cheese into small crumbles.
2. Add Parmesan, herbs, pepper and nutritional yeast. Stir together.
3. Add cream cheese and a little water, and begin mixing with the electric mixer. Add water little by little until the texture is smooth and easy to spread.
Assembling, Baking and Serving
1. Roll out your dough into a large circle about ⅛-¼” thick, and place on an oiled baking pan.
2. Spread the cheese filling around the center of the dough, leaving 2-3 inches around the edges.
3. Slice tomatoes.
4. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the filling. Try to cover all of the filling, placing the tomatoes all the way to the edge. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper in between layers. I usually do two layers, but you can add as much or as little tomato as you like.
5. Fold over the edges of the dough and brush with egg wash.
6. Bake at 350 until the crust is golden brown.
7. Cut into wedges to serve.
