As a recovering perfectionist, I’ve come to realize that galettes (aka rustic tarts) are good for me. They teach me to embrace the the imperfect, and they’re a reminder that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. A galette is just a fancy name for a simple pastry dough that wraps up a delicious filling - whether sweet or savory. At peak summer, I love whipping up a filling full of summer veggies and fresh herbs, wrapped up in golden, crispy pastry. For my most recent galette creation, I was inspired by this stellar recipe from Deb Perlman, of the blog Smitten Kitchen. Deb is my go-to girl for dishes that are crowd-friendly and turn out EVERY TIME, so make sure you check out her blog and cookbooks. Inside this humble galette, we've got ripe summer tomatoes, tender zucchini, juicy corn, and fresh basil + salty parmesan cheese. I highly encourage you to use this recipe as a jumping off point - feel free to mix up the filling with whatever produce and flavors you have on hand.
SUMMER TOMATO, ZUCCHINI, AND CORN GALETTE
Serves: 4-6
Prep time:
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FOR THE PASTRY
- 1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water FOR THE FILLING
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
- 1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
- 1 zucchini or summer squash, diced
- Kosher salt and freskly ground pepper to taste
- Splash of balsamic vinegar
- Handful fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg yolk + splash of water (for pastry glaze)
- MAKE THE DOUGH: Whisk stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a fork or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
- MAKE THE FILLING: In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cover your saute pan with a lid and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around to make sure they cook evenly. (If using canned tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes, cook tomatoes with the cover off to evaporate as much liquid as possible.) When most of the cherry tomatoes have burst, remove lid, turn heat down to medium and add the corn kernels and diced zucchini, sauteing until the corn and zucchini soften, 3-4 minutes. Stir in a splash of balsamic vinegar and the chopped fresh basil, just stirring them in, then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.
- ASSEMBLE GALETTE: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured sheet of parchment, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round (it doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped - remember, we're embracing imperfection)! Gently transfer the parchment with the rolled-out dough onto a baking sheet. Scoop the tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Sprinkle with almost all of remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. Fold the dough over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze (1 egg yoke beaten with slash of water) and sprinkle glaze with last pinches of parmesan.
- BAKE THE GALETTE: For 35 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.