Summer Vegetable Galette

AUTHOR NOTES

I recently served this at an all-girls dinner party for ten. I thought, “Well, not much of this will get eaten, because my friends aren’t buttery pastry-eaters” but boy was I wrong. It was eaten, and raved about, with most people going back for seconds. It works beautifully as a side dish alongside any simple protein, and provides a substantial option for a vegetarian guest. I’d also happily serve this for lunch with just a green salad to go along with it.

It may seem like a lot of trouble to roast all of the vegetables first before tucking them into their blanket of flaky, buttery dough (rather than just using raw vegetables), but trust me, it makes a huge difference. Always in search of the easiest route to delicious, I tried just baking the vegetables in the crust, but, meh. I ended up with grayish eggplant, tepid-tasting zucchini, so-so tomatoes, and, well, you get the picture. Roasting everything first concentrates all the flavors and cooks out excess moisture, so you end up with a succulent flavor bomb of a tart that is hard to resist.

INGREDIENTS

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Big pinch of Aleppo or cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated on the small round holes of a box grater)

14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) cold unsalted butter

For the Roasted Vegetables:

4 Kumato (brown) tomatoes or plum tomatoes, cut crosswise into

3 thick slices

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, thinly slivered

3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 pound Fairy Tale or Japanese eggplant

1 pound small zucchini, cut into

¾-inch-thick coins 1 medium red onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick wedges

For the Cheese Filling:

10 ounces fresh ricotta cheese

4 ounces soft goat cheese

2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane

2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

To Finish:

2 ounces aged goat cheese

(soft goat cheese with a white rind)

½ cup halved Sungold or other cherry tomato

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated on the small round holes of a box grater)

Fresh basil, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Makes 8-12 servings

To make the crust: Combine the flour, salt, sugar, pepper, thyme, and Parmigiano cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and toss into the bowl. Pulse until the butter is broken down into almond-to pea-size pieces. Transfer to a wide bowl and continue to break down the butter by combing your hands through the flour mixture and flattening the butter chunks between your fingertips (but work quickly to keep the butter cold). When there are no more large chunks of butter left, drizzle in ¼ cup ice water (I like to make ice water in a large measuring cup, and then measure out ¼ cup in a smaller measuring cup) while stirring with a fork to distribute it evenly. Press together with your hands. If it seems very dry and crumbly (a little crumbly is OK), dribble in a tiny bit more water. Knead once or twice, then form into a rough rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Press down, and use a bench scraper to form it into an even better rectangle, 1 to 1½ inches thick. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

To make the roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On the prepared pan, toss the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out evenly, top with the garlic and the thyme sprigs, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until shriveled on the edges and starting to brown. Set aside.

Turn the oven temperature up to 450°F.

If using Fairy Tale eggplant, cut them in half lengthwise. If using Japanese eggplant, cut into ½-inch-thick bias-cut slices. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant, zucchini, and red onion in the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread out on 2 baking sheets with the cut sides down. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, without turning, until the zucchini are browned on one side, the eggplant is tender and browned, and the red onions are softened and lightly browned. Remove the vegetables to a plate as they are done. Take care not to overcook them, because they will be cooking some more in the galette. Let cool and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F.

To form the galette: Line an 11 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and have it nearby. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, taking care to retain the roughly rectangular shape, about 13 by 20 inches. Continue rolling from the center out, flouring as needed. It’s a good idea to flour the top with your hand, roll it up onto the rolling pin, and flip it over once or twice so it doesn’t stick. Work quickly so the dough doesn’t get too soft. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it onto the prepared pan. The dough will hang off the edges a little, but that’s OK. Pop it back into the refrigerator while you make the cheese filling.

To make the cheese filling: Combine the ricotta cheese, soft goat cheese, garlic, basil, eggs, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Stir well to combine. When the dough is firm and cold again, spread the cheese mixture over it, leaving a 2-inch border. If the vegetables aren’t ready, chill again.

Assemble and bake the galette: Arrange the roasted tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant (with the browned sides up), and onions on top of the cheese, mixing them up however you please. Scatter the aged goat cheese and cherry tomatoes on top. Fold the dough over the edges of the tart, forming a 2-inch-wide border. Mix the egg yolk and cream with a fork and brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash. Sprinkle the Parmigiano cheese over the top, aiming for the pastry. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling, the pastry is deep golden brown, and your whole house smells amazing. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with a handful of basil leaves.

Timing Tip:

Up to 1 month ahead: Make and freeze the dough; defrost in refrigerator 1 day before using.

Up to 1 day ahead: Make the cheese filling and refrigerate.

Up to 8 hours ahead: Roast the vegetables and assemble the galette.

Up to 2 hours ahead: Bake the galette; reheat if desired.

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Reprinted from Open Kitchen by Susan Spungen with permission by Avery

Photography copyright: Gentl + Hyers © 2019 

Susan Spungen is a cook, food stylist, recipe developer, and author. She was the food editor at Martha Stewart Living from its founding in 1991 to 2003. She was the culinary consultant and food stylist on the feature films Julie & Julia, It's Complicated, and Eat, Pray, Love. She is the author of Recipes: A Collection for the Modern Cook, What's a Hostess to Do?, and Short Stack Editions' Strawberries. She also co-authored Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook, which was a bestseller. Susan lives in New York City and East Hampton, NY.