Rustic Heirloom Tomato Galette
As you probably know by now I love growing tomatoes and that means I love coming up with new recipes to use my garden fresh bounty. Recently I created what I feel is the perfect Rustic Heirloom Tomato Galette.
Do you know the difference between a tart and a galette? They are pretty much the same thing but with a tart the dough is formed into a pan. The galette is more rustic where you just fold up the dough around the edge. A galette and a crostata are the same thing for the most part, the galette being French and the crostata being Italian. Another term that you see is a rustic tart, which really is just a galette.
Galette’s can be savory or sweet, last fall I created a Pumpkin Galette they are so much easier than dealing with pie or tart pans. For my tomato tart here I blended flavors of goat cheese, pecorino basil and parmesan, classic fresh summer flavors. The key to a good galette as Mary Berry would state is “No Soggy Bottoms” to achieve this you must deseed and dry the tomatoes.
Another trick that I discovered is to bake the galette on parchment paper within a heavy Le Cruset braising pan, this will help you form a good circle and the heavy bottom really gives a nice crisp crust. You can free form this and just bake it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as well.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced into cubes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounce package goat cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded fresh Pecorino (if you can't find, use Parmesan)
- 1/4 cup basil, julienned
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh ground pepper
- more grated Parmesan.
- In a food processor add the flour, salt and Parmesan. Pulse till combined, and then add the butter cubes and pulse till it's sandy in texture.
- Thru the tube slowly drizzle in the water while the processor is running. Do not over mix just process until it comes together as a ball.
- On a floured surface plop out the dough and form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and press it into a disc form. CHILL FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS!
- Start by slicing the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Then press out the seeds and gooey parts. Toss with salt and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then take slices and lay them on paper towels and pat gently to dry, set aside until ready to bake.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Either cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a heavy bottomed braising pan.
- Roll out dough on a floured surface, you should roll out to about 12-14 inch round. Gently transfer dough to the parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the dough with the goat cheese in chunks, no need to make it smooth. Make sure to leave about a 2 inch border around the outside for folding. Next sprinkle the Pecorino, and the basil. layer the tomatoes around the dough in a circle. Fold up edges onto the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the top with salt pepper and more Parmesan. Brush dough with olive oil and drizzle some onto the tomatoes.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the tomatoes are soft and starting to get color.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, slice and enjoy!
- Makes for great lunch the next day as well, holds up well.
