This galette comes in many versions of delicious including apple, blueberry and savory. I first saw this recipe by Flo Braker in the food section of The Vancouver Sun, year in 2005. It was my introduction to the magic encased within the Baking with Julia cookbook based on the Master Chefs Television series hosted by Julia Child on PBS. Thanks to co-worker Barb S. who generously loaned me her copy. The pastry turned out perfectly the first time I made it and has just about every time since.
Notes: Use tinfoil if you don’t have parchment paper. For the savory tart, I have substituted provolone and Asiago cheese. To make a rectangular version, use 1/2 recipe of dough, rolled out in a roughly rectangular shape that fills the foil lined cookie sheet. Use about 7 ounces of cheese in total and enough tomatoes to cover the open tart area.
Galette Dough
Makes enough for two 8-inch galettes • The cornmeal in the wonderfully buttery dough not only gives it a bit of crunch, it makes it crisp enough to stand up to soft and syrupy fillings and sturdy enough to be rolled extreme thinness. You can use this dough to line a tart pan, but it is particularly well suited to rustic tarts called galettes—flat, open-face, free form tarts whose edges are folded over the filling like the ruffled top of a drawstring purse.
The dough is made quickly, either by hand or in a food processor and produces enough for two galettes. Since it is equally good with sweet and savory fillings, you might make the Cheese and Tomato Galette to start a meal and the Apple or Berry Galette to finish one.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons sour cream (or yogurt or buttermilk)
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup/140 g flour
¼ cup/42 g / 0.75 oz yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
7 tbsp / 99g / 3.5 oz cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
To make the dough stir the sour cream and 1/3 cup ice water together in a small blow and set aside. Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt into a large bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Drop the butter pieces into the bowl, tossing them once or twice just to coat them with flour. With a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour, aiming for pieces of butter that range in size from bread crumbs to smalls peas. The smaller pieces will make the dough tender, the larger ones will make it flaky.
Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you’ve added all of the sour cream, the dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; it it’s not, add additional cold water.
Chill the dough by dividing it into half, about 225 g/7.9 oz. Press each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two, or it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped, in the refrigerator. It is convenient to roll the dough into rounds, place parchment paper between each round, and freeze them wrapped in plastic; this way you’ll need only about 20 minutes to defrost a round of dough at room temperature before it can be filled, folded into a galette and baked.
Apple or Berry Galette
Makes 4 to 6 servings This is so simple an inviting and so enjoyable to construct that you’ll find yourself turning to it frequently. The filling can be mixed berries, as suggested here (if you include strawberries, don’t use many, as they’re too watery), peeled soft fruits, or in fall and winter sweet pears or tart apples. I’ve had good success with Pink Lady, Fuji, Granny Smith and Jonagold apples.
If using apples, peel and slice thinly, about 1/8″. If making a larger tart, where the apple slices will be uncovered, tent a piece of parchment paper over the apples for 20 minutes. Remove and finish baking.
Ingredients
½ recipe Galette Dough
1 ½ cups mixed fresh berries or 4 or 5 apples
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Directions
Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF/204ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into an 11-inch (see my notes above) circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick. The dough is soft so lift it now and then and toss some flour under it and over the top. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll onto the prepared baking sheet.
Spread the berries over dough, leaving a 2 to 3 inch border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the fruit and drizzle on the honey. Cut the butter into slivers and scatter it on top of the fruit. Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filling. Dip the pastry brush in water, give the edge of the crust a light coating, and then sprinkle the crust with the remaining teaspoon of sugar.
Baking the galette 35 – 40 minutes, as above
Storing the galette The galette is best eaten the day it is made
Cheese and Tomato Galette
Makes 2 to 4 servings • This rustic tart has the look of a Mediterranean pizza. Because of the cornmeal in the dough, the crust will stay crisp enough for this galette to be served either warm or at room temperature. It will even travel, so think of it when you’re headed off on a picnic or want to bring friend a lovely something to have with drinks.
Ingredients
1/2 recipe Galette Dough, chilled
2 ounces / 61 g Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 ounces mozzarella / 61 g, preferably fresh, shredded
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade or torn
Directions
Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF/204ºC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into an 11-inch (see my notes above) circle that’s about 1/8 inch thick. /since the dough is soft, you’ll need to lift it now and then and toss some flour under it and over the top. Roll the dough up around your rolling pin and unroll onto the prepared baking sheet.
Making the filling Toss the cheeses and basil together in a small bowl, then scatter them over the rolled-out dough, leaving a 2 to 3 inch border. Place the tomatoes in concentric circles, one slice slightly overlapping the last, on top of the cheese. Fold the uncovered border of dough up over the filing, allowing the dough to pleat as you lift it up and work your way around the galette. (Because you’re folding a wide edge of dough onto a smaller part of the circle, it will pleat naturally—just go with it.)
Baking the Galette Bake the galette for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pasty is golden and crisp and the cheese is bubbly. Transfer the baking sheet a a cooling rack and let the galette rest for 10 minutes. Slip a wide spatula or a small rimless baking sheet under the galette and slid it onto the cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
Storing The galette can be kept at room temperature for several hours, but it is best served the day it is made.
Source: Flo Braker, contributing baker, in Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan, William Morrow, 1996