Summer Tomato Galette

We thank our favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen, for this fabulous recipe.   It’s a delicious pastry filled with summer’s best ingredients – sweet cherry tomatoes, sweet corn and summer squash.

A galette needs a rolled out pastry, but this dough is easy to work and you don’t have to make it fit into a pie pan.   It’s a free form pie filled with a delicious savory filling.   You can use this same pastry recipe for sweet recipes like fresh peach or apple galette.   Once you make this recipe, you’ll be using this pastry over and over.

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
1 ear corn, cut from the cob or frozen organic corn, about 1 cup
1 small summer squash, diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced or 1 small onion, sliced1/2 cup grated parmesan

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender 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.  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 filling: In a large saute pan, add olive oil and tomatoes.  Cover and heat over high heat.  Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so they cook evenly. In a few minutes, you’ll hear some pops as the tomatoes gently burst.  Remove lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini.  Saute for until they soften. Add corn and scallions, cooking for a few minutes then turn off heat.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Transfer mixture to a large plate and allow to cool before assembling the galette.

Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees.  On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round.   It doesn’t need to be perfectly round so no worries if the pastry is a little rough around the edges.   What you want is a dough that is relatively the same thickness.  Use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle the vegetable mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Use a slotted spoon to prevent too much liquid going into the galette.   Sprinkle with almost all of remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust.  Fold the dough over the filling, pleating the seams.  The center will be open.   Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.  Sprinkle glaze with last pinches of parmesan.

Bake the galette: For 30 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.   Scatter fresh basil to finish – optional but delicious!  Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.