Summer seems to be at it’s peak in September in the Bay Area. All the tomatoes – cherry tomatoes, heirloom varieties, early girl, roma tomatoes are all over the farmer’s market, and it is a real eye candy to go at this time and devour all the tomatoes!
I have been on a roll making tomato soup, tomato pastas, and anything and everything tomatoes. I want to savor all the tomatoes before they disappear from the market. Tomatoes last till about the end of October here, and I am here for it!
Inspiration for my Savory Summer Galette
I first made this recipe in 2018 as an old blog post that I have revamped here. It was for a brand partnership with a winery, where I made the savory summer galette to showcase the wine. It was a beautiful garden scene with a date night picnic vibe, with a charcuterie board, along with the galette, some side salad and ofcourse the wine.
I was inspired by all the summer produce to make this galette, which is inspired by a pizza pie, with layers of basil pesto, cheese and vegetables.
Layers of the Savory Summer Galette
- Savory Galette Dough
- Basil Walnut Pesto
- Cheeses like Mozzarella and Fontina
- Vegetables like zucchini ribbons, heirloom tomatoes and corn
- Heavy cream wash
Ingredients of the Savory Galette Dough for the Savory Summer Galette
The ingredients of the Savory Galette Dough are:
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Dried thyme or basil
- Unsalted butter : this should be cold, and cut into pieces so that it can be mixed with the flour mixture to form pea sized pieces.
- Iced water: Iced water is used to keep the dough chilled so that the butter stays cold too.
How to make the Galette dough?
The galette dough starts off by mixing the flour, salt, pepper and dried thyme or basil. Cold butter pieces are added, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter such that it forms pea sized pieces and gets coated with the flour mixture.
- TIP: Iced cold water is used to keep the dough chilled and for the butter to stay chilled. You want to use JUST enough water to bind the dough. As you see the dough come together, you will see flakes of butter throughout the dough, and this gives the galette its flakey texture. The idea is that when the galette hits the hot oven, the cold butter melts to create air pockets, and thus flakiness in the dough, making the dough light and airy.
Make sure the dough is chilled in the fridge for half hour atleast before rolling it out to make the galette.
I love this galette dough recipe and it turns out perfect every single time!
Ingredients for the Basil Walnut Pesto for the Savory Summer Galette
The ingredients of the Basil Walnut Pesto are:
- Basil leaves
- Salt
- Cracked pepper
- Walnuts : You can use a nut of your choice but I do like walnuts in this pesto here.
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil : I always use EVOO for dressings, pestos and sauces to enhance the flavor of the final product.
How to make the Basil Walnut Pesto?
The pesto is made in a food processor where all the ingredients except EVOO are blended first. EVOO is added to bind the pesto together.
Assembly of the Savory Summer Galette
Step 1:
The chilled dough is rolled out by sprinkling some all purpose flour on a work surface and rolling out the dough to a circular shape about 14 inches in diameter. The dough will be stiff, and may tend to tear, but you fix as you go along and be gentle with the dough. Do not rush the process. You want to roll it out evenly so that you get an even leveled dough, also you will see the bits of butter all over.
Step 2:
Roll the dough onto the rolling pin to transport it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roll it out again.
Step 3:
Add the basil walnut pesto evenly all over the galette, and then we start layering the galette. Add a layer of a mix of mozzarella and fontina cheeses, then we add some zucchini ribbons. Use a mandolin to slice even strips of zucchini. I add a mix of salt, pepper, chili flakes and dried thyme or basil to create a spice mix that is sprinkled on the veggies.
Flavor each layer is my motto to create a flavor bomb!
Step 4:
Add some corn, and then we layer with more cheese and sprinkle of spices. Then layer with the heirloom tomatoes. I used 4 different colors to get a gradient of the heirloom tomatoes and created a pattern on the top. I sprinkled again with the spice mix and then we start pleating the galette in a circular pattern to seal it.
Step 5:
I use a heavy cream wash that is laden with sugar to get a caramelization effect on the galette. I also grate parmesan cheese for a super delicious crust effect and bake the tart until golden brown in color.
Once the galette is out of the oven, grate more parmesan cheese all over the crust! It is SO good, and you really do not need anything else with this galette, except maybe for a side salad.
What kind of a pastry cutter do you use?
You can use this pastry cutter from Amazon. Its a must-have tool especially if you make a lot of pie or galette dough and inexpensive too.
What kind of a food processor do you use?
I use the CuisinArt food processor that I have had for more than 15 years now and it still works like a charm.
How do you store the Basil Walnut Pesto?
I store the Basil Walnut Pesto in a glass jar in the fridge for upto a month. Cover the pesto with a tad bit EVOO to seal the freshness.
What do you use to grate the Parmesan cheese?
I use a zester to grate the Parmesan cheese. It gives the fluffiest cheese texture on a salad, pizza or pasta!
How long can I keep the galette dough to make the Savory Summer Galette?
The galette dough can be kept in the fridge for upto a week or frozen for upto a month. Be sure to keep it in the fridge overnight if you are storing it in the freezer. Thaw it for about 10 minutes outside before rolling it out.
How long can you store the leftovers and how do you store them?
The leftovers of the Savory Summer Galette can be kept in the fridge for upto 3 days, warm it in a toaster oven for best results.
What kind of wine do you recommend to enjoy with the Savory Summer Galette?
I recommend a sparkling rose’ as the wine of choice, as it goes perfectly well with the Savory Summer Galette.
Other recipes from my blog that are great for light dinners as we approach the end of summer:
- Corn Zucchini and Peach Masala Toasts
- Potato Black Bean Taquito Burgers
- Summer Squash and Corn Casserole
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Savory Summer Galette
Ingredients
Savory Galette Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or basil
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons ice water (1-2 tablespoons more if required)
Basil Walnut Pesto
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
- ½ cup toasted walnuts coarsely chopped
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Savory Summer Galette
- 1 ½ teaspoons Maldon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons red chilli flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 zucchini thinly shaved slices
- 4 heirloom tomatoes, ⅓ inch slices (different colors)
- ½ cup fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella
- 1 cup freshly grated fontina
- Extra all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Parmesan cheese
- Basil leaves
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
Galette Dough
- Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, dried thyme or basil and whisk until blended.
- Add the butter and using a pastry blender, mix until the butter is pea sized.
- Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water, and blend with the pastry blenderuntil the dough is uniformly moist, and holds together when pinched. If it seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, up until 2, and check until just bound.
- Gather the dough with your hands, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to roll out.
Basil Walnut Pesto
- In a food processor, add the basil, salt, pepper, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and garlic, and blend until it is all mixed well together.
- Slowly add the extra-virgin olive oil from the top of the food processor, while the processor is running, and blend well together for a minute. Store in a glass jar, and add olive oil on the top to preserve.
- Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Savory Summer Galette
-
- Preheat the oven to 415 degrees.
- In a small bowl, add the Maldon sea salt, black pepper, red chilli flakes, dried basil and thyme, and mix to combine. Set aside.
- Place the parchment paper on a half baking sheet and set aside.
- Remove the dough from the plastic wrap, place it on a flat surface that has been dusted with some flour. Roll it out into an even circle about 14 inches in diameter. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough around it, and gently lift and place it onto the baking sheet and roll it out to lay flat.
- Using a small rubber spatula, spread about 1 cup of the basil walnut pesto in the center of the circle, leaving a 2 inch border to wrap up the galette.
- Add half of the mozzarella and fontina cheeses on top of the basil. Sprinkle some of the spice mix on the cheese.
- Layer with the zucchini thinly shaved slices and corn on top of the cheese. Sprinkle some of the spice mix on top of the zucchini. You want to flavor each layer.
- Add the remaining half of the mozzarella and fontina on top of the zucchini slices. Sprinkle some of the spice mix on the cheese.
- Layer the heirloom tomato slices in a concentric circle, covering the cheese layer. Sprinkle some more of the spice mix on top of the tomatoes.
- Gently wrap the dough around the galette in a pleated form, so that the folds overlap slightly to form a pretty pattern and the galette holds its round shape.
- In a small bowl add the heavy cream and the sugar and mix to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the cream wash over the galette dough gently.
- Generously grate Parmesan all over the crust part of the galette.
- Place the baking sheet in the lower rack of the oven for roughly 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown in color. Remove your baking sheet with the baked galette, gently from the oven and cool slightly for 10 minutes. Slice it into even slices and it is ready to eat!
Notes
What kind of a pastry cutter do you use?
You can use this pastry cutter from Amazon. Its a must-have tool especially if you make a lot of pie or galette dough and inexpensive too.
What kind of a food processor do you use?
I use the CuisinArt food processor that I have had for more than 15 years now and it still works like a charm.
How do you store the Basil Walnut Pesto?
I store the Basil Walnut Pesto in a glass jar in the fridge for upto a month. Cover the pesto with a tad bit EVOO to seal the freshness.
What do you use to grate the Parmesan cheese?
I use a zester to grate the Parmesan cheese. It gives the fluffiest cheese texture on a salad, pizza or pasta!
How long can I keep the galette dough to make the Savory Summer Galette?
The galette dough can be kept in the fridge for upto a week or frozen for upto a month. Be sure to keep it in the fridge overnight if you are storing it in the freezer. Thaw it for about 10 minutes outside before rolling it out.
How long can you store the leftovers and how do you store them?
The leftovers of the Savory Summer Galette can be kept in the fridge for upto 3 days, warm it in a toaster oven for best results.
What kind of wine do you recommend to enjoy with the Savory Summer Galette?
I recommend a sparkling rose’ as the wine of choice, as it goes perfectly well with the Savory Summer Galette.
