Happy August everyone!
I’m way late, I know. But better late than never, right?
I know summer technically ends late September, but I always considered August to be the end of summer. Once upon a time that meant getting ready to head back to school or relishing the last few days of vacation before going back to work. But now I’m graduated and we’re still in the middle of a pandemic so this year looks nothing like that. While there are so many things that my easily stressed Taurus-brain could worry about right now, I’m slowly trying to learn to find joy in the little things.
August produce is one of those things. In my opinion, August is the peak for summer produce. Plums and cherries and tomatoes are so juicy and plump and vibrant and we always have them on hand in my house. At this point, weekly trips to one of the local farm stands has become extremely necessary for picking up all those ripe August fruits (and a couple of scoops of their homemade ice cream).
With tomatoes always in abundance here, I’m always looking for new ways to use them. Caprese, pico de gallo, and a cucumber + tomato salad are go-tos in my house. They’re quick, easy, and fresh. While I love a good, unadulterated tomato as much as the next person, sometimes you just crave a little more. *Enter the Cheesy Cherry Tomato Galette*
This galette has all my favorite things— buttery, flaky pie crust, a cheesy filling swirled with fresh basil and frizzled garlic and shallot, sweet cherry tomatoes, and balsamic glaze for good measure. It’s a perfect and very riffable summer side or main. All it takes is a little time and a willingness to turn on the oven.
As always, follow along for a step-by-step breakdown and some extra tips or skip to the bottom for the recipe.
Some notes before beginning––
Crushed red pepper is 100% optional. Add as much or as little as you wish
Red onion can be used in place of the shallot.
Balsamic glaze isn’t necessary, but makes the galette that much more delicious. You can find already made balsamic glaze at the grocery store or you can make it at home with balsamic vinegar. Simply cook down the vinegar until thick and syrupy. Just be warned that the vinegar smells super potent when cooking down.
In the filling—ricotta and mozzarella cheese of any fat content can be used here. Whole milk can be used in place of heavy cream.
Before beginning, make sure to have a slab of your favorite pie dough in the refrigerator chilling. The exact weight needed is in the recipe, but you’ll need a piece of dough big enough for a single-crust pie. I prefer to use homemade, all-butter crust, but a store bought round would certainly work here. If you make your dough the day of, make sure it chills for at least an hour before rolling out.
Start by prepping the tomatoes.
The cherry tomatoes are what really make this galette. I prefer cherry tomatoes because I find the flavor and sweetness to be more concentrated. When they cook down into the filling they become even more intense in flavor and work with the other elements so well.
You can use any variety of cherry tomato here. I love heirloom cherry tomatoes and sungolds. Just be sure to use the best, sweetest ones you can find. If you’re having trouble finding good tomatoes, an amazing grocery store option is the NatureSweet Constellation mix of cherry tomatoes. They’re consistently sweet and juicy.
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Lay the tomatoes out onto a paper towel-lined plate with the cut side facing up. Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt over the tomatoes. Set them aside while you make the cheesy filling.
A lot of the punch of this filling comes from the frizzled shallot and garlic. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the shallot. Reserve the rest to layer with the tomatoes. Cook, stirring or swirling the pan frequently, for a minute.
Add the garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the shallot. Cook for another 3 minutes over medium high, stirring or swirling frequently. The garlic and shallot should be lightly fried. You’re looking for golden brown around the edges, but not crispy.
Crushed red pepper is totally optional and the amount you add is up to your taste. My family loves a little kick in everything and so I use it pretty generously. Just remember that it’ll intensify as it fries with the shallot and garlic.
Immediately transfer the mixture to a small bowl to keep things from burning.
In another small bowl, stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and heavy cream. The heavy cream is used to loosen the mixture a bit and also prevent the ricotta from drying out in the oven.
Add the frizzled shallots and garlic (leaving behind and reserving the oil) to the cheese mixture along with more salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir everything together until distributed evenly.
Gently fold in some torn basil. Set aside the cheese mixture while you roll out the crust.
Dust your surface of choice and the slab of dough with a generous amount of flour. Roll out the dough into a 13-inch round. Be sure to turn the dough a quarter turn after every roll to maintain the round shape and dust with more flour as needed. Transfer the dough to a parchment lined sheet.
Spread the cheese mixture around the center of the dough, leaving an inch-ish border.
Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel to rid of any excess moisture. Arrange the tomatoes and remaining shallot over the center of the cheese mixture. It’s okay for there to be a ring of the cheese mixture exposed. Be sure to keep the tomatoes close together as they’ll shrink when they cook.
Drizzle the reserved oil from the frizzled shallots/garlic over the tomatoes.
Fold the dough up over the filling. I like to create a pleat when I fold my dough. This can be done by first folding one edge up. Start the next section at the last 1/2-ish inch of the first fold and fold the dough up and over the filling and the first fold. Continue this around the perimeter of the filling until all the edges enclose the tomatoes.
Mix some heavy cream with a splash of water. Brush the pie dough with the heavy cream wash, being sure to get into all the cracks and crevices. Chill the galette for 10 minutes to maintain the folds and shape of the dough when baking.
Bake the chilled galette at 400 degrees f on a rack set in the bottom third of the oven for about an hour. The crust should be golden brown, the cheese mixture bubbling slightly, and the tomatoes cooked down. Let the galette cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and more fresh basil. Cut and serve while hot.
Yield: 10-inch galette, 8 slices
Ingredients
For the filling:
12 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 2 cups)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced crosswise
3 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red pepper, optional
1 cup ricotta cheese (about 8.5 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2.25 ounces)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn, plus some for garnish
All purpose flour, for dusting
1 slab of your favorite pie dough (about 9.5 to 10 ounces, enough dough for one single-crust pie), chilled
Balsamic glaze
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees f with a rack set in the bottom third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
Begin by cutting the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Lay out the tomatoes in a single layer, cut side up, on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle a generous pinch, about 1/8 teaspoon, of salt over the tomatoes. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the shallot to the oil and reserve the other half for later. Cook the shallot over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add the garlic, a few good grinds of black pepper, a big pinch of salt, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy along the edges, about 3 minutes more. Turn the heat down if you find the garlic and shallot to be cooking too quickly. Immediately transfer the shallot and garlic and all the oil to a small bowl to cool slightly.
Stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream in a small bowl until combined. Pull out the bits of frizzled garlic and shallot from the oil (reserve the oil to use later) and add to the cheese mixture along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Stir together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Gently fold in the torn basil. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out the slab of pie dough into a 13-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the round of dough to the parchment lined sheet.
Spread the cheese mixture onto the round of pie dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border all around. Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel to get rid of any excess moisture. Lay the tomatoes and remaining half of the shallot slices over the center of the cheese mixture. Pack them in tightly as they will cook down in the oven. Drizzle the remaining shallot and garlic infused oil over the tomatoes.
Fold the dough up over the tomatoes and cheese mixture. Mix 2 teaspoons of heavy cream with a teaspoon of water. Brush the dough with the heavy cream wash. Chill the galette for 10 minutes to help maintain the shape and folds of the crust.
Bake the chilled galette on a rack set in the bottom third of the oven at 400 degrees f until the tomatoes are cooked down, the cheese mixture bubbles a bit, and the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and more fresh basil. Serve warm.
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