Tomato and Basil Pesto Galette
Ahhh, the rustic galette. My favorite type of cooking. No matter how it looks, it's always delicious! They can be made sweet or savory. Big or small. The perfect summer meal with all of the gorgeous fresh produce available! My personal favorite, the tomato. With tomato season here, you'll be able to find all different kinds and colors of tomatoes to use in this galette.
Basically, what we have here is pie dough stuffed with garlicky pesto, juicy tomatoes and fresh herbs. I will be including my homemade dough, and I encourage you to make it! With only 3 ingredients, it's simple and makes for a much flakier dough. But, you can also get pre-made dough from almost any store. If frozen, make sure it thaws to avoid cracking. The goal is to use COLD butter and ice cold water to form this dough. As shown below, those chunks of butter throughout your dough are essential for flaky and delicate dough. So, working quickly and with cold ingredients will you the trick.
When you buy in season, you're buying the healthiest, freshest and best tasting food for you. Not only is it delicious, but it's more cost effective for both you and the farmers. In season crops are picked at the peak of their ripeness, which means you will be consuming all of their nutrients at their full capacity! Make sure to do your research on what's in season before you head to the store or farmer's market. The great news about this recipe is that you can swap out just about any vegetable based on the season.
Alriiight - here ya go:
Tomato and Basil Pesto Galette
1 pie dough, homemade recipe below or store bought
1/4 cup pesto, homemade recipe below or store bought
2-4 tomatoes, depending on size
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh herbs, to taste
1 egg
1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Place dough onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. In the center of your pie dough, spread pesto evenly. Don't go all the way to the edges, because you will be folding the dough in. Leave about 2 inches around the edges.
2. On top of the pesto, add sliced tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and garlic. Again, do not go all the way to the edges because you will be folding in the sides of the dough. Leave about 2 inches. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Carefully fold the rim of the dough up and over the edge of the filling, overlapping as you go to make the pleating. This part doesn't have to be perfect, that's why we call it rustic :)
4. Beat 1 egg and brush the crust. Sprinkle the crust with salt and pepper. If you have leftover garlic, add it on top of the crust too!
5. Bake the galette for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, cut and enjoy!
Homemade Dough
1 cup flour, bread flour or all purpose + more for rolling
1/2 cup salted butter, COLD
1/4 cup water, plus more if needed, COLD
1. In a bowl, add flour. Make sure butter is cold and cut into small cubes or grate in using large hole cheese grater. Using your hands, toss and incorporate the butter into the flour. If using cubed butter, use your fingers to "sheet" or gently flatten each cube of butter into flour. You can also use a food processor to pulse and make crumb-like mixture.
Ting's Tip: I like using my hands so that there are some big sheeted chunks of butter throughout the dough (seen in picture above). This will make sure your dough is extra flaky!
2. Slowly add in cold water a little at a time and mix until dough begins to come together. You don't want it too wet. It won't feel like a cohesive dough until the rolling out process. When the dough comes together, dump onto plastic wrap or parchment paper. Press dough together in a sphere, wrap and put in fridge to rest.
3. When ready to use, turn dough onto floured surface. Use floured rolling pin to roll out into a circle. About 1/8-1/4 inch thick.
Ting's Tip: You don't want it so thin that you can read through it, or too thick that it'll be chewy and not flaky.
Homemade Pesto
3-4 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1. Using a food processor or blender, add all ingredients except for olive oil. Blend until a paste forms. Scrape down sides so all basil and ingredients get incorporated.
2. Slowly add in olive oil, a little at a time. Again, scrape down sides often so everything gets incorporated and smooth. Use immediately on your galette, refrigerate for up to 3-5 days or freeze for later use! :)