When the warmest days of summer begin to fade into hints of fall, my garden and CSA boxes overflow with ripe, juicy tomatoes. It's sometimes a challenge to use them all and that's a challenge I welcome year after year. After all, not everyone gets to greet something like this when walking into the kitchen every day:
So now, while they are at their prime, I wanted to share some of my favorite tomato recipes and celebrate the season. And I couldn't visit my favorites without sharing this beautiful, tangy, delicious galette that's bursting with creamy chèvre and juicy tomatoes:
One note of importance before you dash to make this amazing, messy pie: Make sure you let your sliced tomatoes rest and drain for at least 20 minutes before you put them in your pastry. If you do not, summer's finest tomatoes will turn your galette into mush. You have to remove some of those amazing juices before this hits the oven or you will be unleashing soup inside your pastry shell. Trust me, even with a good draining, those tomatoes will still have more than enough delicious juiciness to have you reaching for napkins at the table!
Tomato-Chèvre Galette
- 1¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 stick butter, cut into pieces
- ¼ c. cream cheese
- 1 T. lemon juice
- ¼ c. cold water
- ⅓ c. goat cheese at room temperature
- ⅓ c. grated parmesan
- 4 large tomatoes, cut into ¼ inches slices, rested on paper towels for 20 minutes (to remove excess liquid)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg, beaten with a bit of water (for egg wash)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced basil
Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flour and, using a pastry blender, mix until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, and ice water. Mix in the liquids with the flour-butter mixture with a wooden spoon until large lumps form, do not over-mix. Shape the dough into a ball with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Now would be a great time to get those tomatoes draining!
Once dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch round over a lightly floured silicone baking mat and lay the mat gently over a baking sheet. Don't worry about creating smooth edges or a perfectly even thickness.
Spread the dough with the goat cheese, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the parmesan over the goat cheese. Arrange the tomatoes in a concentric pattern over the tart. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully fold the border over the edge of the tomatoes. Brush the top of the pastry with some of the egg wash.
Bake until the crust is golden, about 30-40 minutes. Remove the galette from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Top with basil. Serve hot or at room temperature.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 2 hours (includes 1 hour chilling for pastry)