You may recall that in several columns this past summer I described how our tomato plants were trying to deal with the erratic weather we were experiencing. With the temperatures changing almost daily from highs to lows, our poor plants didn’t know what to do. However, they finally caught on and are now loaded with beautiful green fruit. Each day I check them, looking for any that are turning red.
If they are red enough they get picked. If they still need a day or two, I line them up in my kitchen plant window and there they stay until they are ready to be eaten.
Because of our abundance of those delicious pieces of fruit we use as a vegetable, I have been collecting some more tomato recipes. I included a few this summer and thought it would be fun to include one for fall.
This recipe produces a galette, which hails from France. It is a round, rather flat cake made of flaky-pastry dough, yeast dough or sometimes unleavened dough. The term applies to a variety of tarts, both savory and sweet with many, many variations. A galette may be topped with fruit, jam, nuts, meat, cheese, tomatoes, etc. and is nice served as a dessert or appetizer. Of course, this recipe uses tomatoes.
Tomato Galette
Note: Salting the tomatoes ahead of time and letting them release some of their liquid is essential. It will allow the tomatoes to caramelize and ensures that the bottom of the crust stays flaky.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 ½ pounds (firm, but ripe) tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 ounces firm cheese (such as Asiago, cheddar, or Gouda), finely grated (about 1 ½ cups)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ lemon
1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives
Directions:
Pulse 2 cups flour and 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl; drizzle with vinegar and ¼ cup ice water. Mix with a fork, adding more ice water by the tablespoonful as needed, just until a shaggy dough comes together. Turn out onto a work surface and lightly knead until no dry spots remain (be careful not to overwork). Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently toss tomatoes, garlic, and remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes (tomatoes will start releasing some liquid. Drain the tomato mixture and transfer to paper towels.
Unwrap dough and roll out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to a 14- inch round about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. Scatter cheese over dough, leaving a 1 ½-inch border. Arrange tomatoes and garlic over cheese. Bring edges of dough up and over filling, overlapping as needed to create about a 1 ½-inch border; brush dough with egg. Sprinkle tomatoes with sea salt and pepper. Chill in freezer 10 minutes.
Bake galette, rotating once, until crust is golden brown and cooked through, 55-65 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet. Finely grate zest from lemon over galette, sprinkle with chives.
Note: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. So there you are — enjoy!
For a real change of pace for Halloween, take the kids to Zoo Boo at the Charles Paddock Zoo on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5-8:30 p.m. There will be carnival games, Halloween activities, tricks and treats! It promises to be a wild, but not-too-scary event for all ages.
Plan to do your holiday shopping early while enjoying entertainment, refreshments, holiday fashions and decorations at our Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County Thrift Store, 667 A Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.
This will be our 2nd Annual Holiday Extravaganza presented by members of our local chapter of National Assistance League, and is a one-day-only event.
If you can’t make it on the day of the event, the Thrift Store will continue to offer holiday items.
The Assistance League Thrift Store is our key source of funding for our chapter’s philanthropic program, Operation School Bell, providing new school clothing and dental hygiene kits to students in need.
For more information, visit alslocounty.org or call 805-782-0824.
Enjoy the rest of the week and the coming weekend.
Cheers!
