Savoury tart?! Is this Emily from sweeter by the season?! Yes I know sweet treats and bakes are usually my forte, but being trained in Patisserie doesn’t necessarily mean I can’t use my knowledge in pastry to create an honestly delicious savory tart! This is such a simple and easy way to make a great lunch or summer dinner, even if you aren’t great at working with pastry, I promise you will be able to make this with no problem at all! Using only a few ingredients, you will be able to have a perfectly seasonal summer tart which will be sure to impress any friends and family who taste this, if it even makes it that far!!
You may be wondering what the term ‘galette’ is in the title of this blog post, and why aren’t I’m saying tart? This is where my enthusiasm for French patisserie terms comes in! A ‘galette’ is simply a term for a ‘flat cake’ or a tart/cake which doesn’t require a tin. This makes it a much simpler way to make a tart without the stress of a tin! Traditionally the pastry will wrap around the filling, which gives the tart its beautiful rustic finish. You can make sweet and savoury galettes so it’s a fab way to get creative with flavours! I would love to see what you all will create!
The filling for this tart is so simple, it’s layered with seasoned ricotta and loads of fresh tomatoes mixed with garlic and thyme. This can easily be tweaked to your preference!
Here are some other ideas for Galette fillings:
- Courgette, Lemon and Goat’s Cheese
- Cherry and Almond Frangipane
- Raspberry and Chocolate
- Peaches and Honey
- Caramelised onion and Brie
So what ingredients do I need?
- Flour
- Butter
- Eggs
- Salt
- Quality Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Gouda/Gruyere or similar hard cheese
- Ricotta
- Lemons
How to make the Best Tomato Galette
Galettes are so much easier to make than pies and tarts. A few key things to remember when making a galette from scratch are:
- Spend the extra time making homemade pie pastry: I know it’s a little extra work, but it is SO worth it. You’ll get the best flaky texture and buttery flavor for a homemade pie crust, and the crust will hold its shape better in the oven. That being said, if you’re in a pinch you can certainly use a store bought pie crust.
- Use high quality tomatoes: The quality of the tomatoes will really make or break your galette. Using a selection of different sized and coloured tomatoes will also make this tart look so pretty! Using fresh and seasonal tomatoes will also add so much added flavour.
- Serve it hot out of the oven: This galette is best served hot of the oven when the crust is flaky and golden brown and the tomatoes haven’t seeped into it too much. If you have leftovers, we recommend heating them up in a 170 celsius oven for 15 minutes or until hot all the way through!
- Don’t skimp on seasonings: I’ve added in loads of garlic, salt and pepper into this recipe, for good reason! Tomatoes are a great vessel for flavour and adding these flavours is only going to enhance this tart and make it so much better! So when you are thinking not to add the salt.. please add the salt!! Your taste buds will thank me!
Tomato and Ricotta Galette
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 225 grams Plain Flour
- 110 grams Butter cold and cut into cubes
- 2 eggs medium
- 1 pinch Salt
For the Filling
- 500 grams Tomatoes mixed variety
- 1-2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 50 grams Gouda or any similar hard cheese
- 150 grams Ricotta
- 1 Lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt flakes
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
For the Pastry
- Place the flour, salt and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the cold butter in to the flour and continue until you create a breadcrumb texture.
- Mix the eggs in a bowl and slowly add to the breadcrumb mixture, and mix until a dough is formed. NOTE: you may not need all the eggs depending on the moisture of your butter and flour, so only add until a dough is formed.
- Knead the dough slightly until all comes together and roll into a ball. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to chill for at least an hour until firm.
For the Filling
- Chop the tomatoes into slices or into quarters depending on the size of the tomato
- Place all the tomatoes in a sieve and place over a bowl, season with salt and let any excess liquid from the tomatoes drip away. The salt will drive out the moisture of the tomatoes. Leave to sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Once a good amount of liquid has been drained, mix with the garlic, thyme and the grated gouda.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta and the lemon zest, with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll the pastry to roughly a 12 inch circle. Place onto the baking tray.
- Leaving about 2 inches gap around the edge, spread the ricotta filling onto the pastry. Then pile the tomatoes on top of the ricotta.
- Fold over the edges of the pastry so that It holds the filling in place, it doesn't need to be perfect, the folds and creases of the pastry give it its signature look.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with egg and place in the oven for 50 mins to an hour until the pastry is golden brown and fully baked and crispy.
- Leave to cool slightly and serve immediately.
