Cartwheels over a rustic spring galette
First, a photo of this really easy, rustic-looking galette that my crew swooned over. Rustic is code for ugly. This is a fine place for baking beginners, like me. I’ll make it again, improvising the ingredients along with the seasons and IOH (ingredients on hand). I think it would make a fab Easter brunch offering.
Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Galette, right out of oven.
This is my absolute favorite kind of culinary exercise — trying something that has intrigued but also intimidated me for years, and then instantly adding it to the repertoire because it is easy and such a hit. Maybe like me, you’ve longingly eyeballed sweet and savory tarts in bakeries or at farmer’s markets, but never got around to trying your hand. Pastry is fussy, you thought, or tarts belong to the realm of baking goddesses. Actually, it’s very simple and I don’t think it would be possible to turn out a bad one. Really…once you enrobe in a buttery crust any combination of sautéed vegetables, mushrooms, cheese, etc, it’s all good, right? It’s much lighter than quiche, and a small slice goes a long way when you serve it with a lightly dressed tangle of arugula.
I improvised liberally, from several recipes I looked at, and doubt I would ever make it the same way twice. The big bonus here is that the basic pastry dough recipe is simpler and more streamlined than others I found. It couldn’t be any easier. And since it needs to chill for at least an hour, make it the day or two before. You can also sauté and prep the toppings the day before, and then the tart can be a simple roll out-top-and-bake deal.
Here’s the recipe.
And more photos.
My grandmother's rolling pin...
top the rolled out dough with a little cheese and sautéed leeks, then...
add other ingredients, such as caramelized onions and cooked pancetta...
sprinkle with more cheese and fold her up...
remove from oven, let it sit for 10 minutes, and serve warm!
