summer tomato galette

tomato pie, but, dare I say... better?!

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There are two foods that residents of my great home state of North Carolina adore that I simply cannot get behind.

I’m nervous to even admit these, for fear of being pitchforked by my Southern readers, but here we go:

1. Fried okra. It’s slimy and weird and okra is simply better (and unslimy) roasted (halved, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted at 400°F until crispy, about 20 minutes).

2. Tomato pie. If you’re unfamiliar with tomato pie, it’s… exactly what it sounds like. It is built like a traditional fruit pie, with layers of mayonnaise, shredded cheese, and tomatoes. It’s quite often poorly executed, and the center of the pie becomes a goopy, sloppy mess. I have never understood the hype.

But… I knew that the separate components, when paired together, could be absolutely glorious. I mean, hello — mayo! cheese! tomatoes! flaky pie crust! These things should have made a fantastic team!

So a few summers ago, faced with our first-ever crop of tomatoes at our then-new home in Carmel Valley, California, I decided to put my spin on tomato pie — making it a galette (aka a rustic, free-form pie, no pie dish required) with beautiful, non-soggy layers of mayo, cheese, and tomatoes, lots of fresh basil, garlic, and my beloved lemon pepper to add a tangy kick.

We became completely obsessed, made it approximately 50 times, and, of course… completely burnt out on it.

But this past week, while on Bald Head Island in North Carolina with 50 of my family members, my uncle Jim dropped off a massive box of the most beautiful heirloom tomatoes you’ve ever seen from his Lookout Mountain, Tennessee garden and I immediately knew it was tomato galette time.

I whipped one together for lunch one afternoon and honestly felt like I’d just won an Oscar, I was so overwhelmed with compliments! Every single family member lost their mind over this one, so I knew I had to share it for this week’s recipe.

It is so incredibly easy, and even easier if you skip the homemade crust and just use a store-bought crust! Seriously — I highly approve of that move!

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summer tomato galette

Serves 4 to 6

Cook time: ~1 hour 15 minutes (45 to 50 minutes of that is inactive!)

Tools:

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Paper towels

• Baking sheet (1 or 2)

• 2 large bowls

• Parchment paper

• Rolling pin (or wine bottle!)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of the ripest, most delicious tomatoes you can find (such as heirlooms or Early Girls)

• Kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

• 1/4 cup ice water (I like to fill up a glass measuring cup to the 1/4 cup mark, then add a handful of ice cubes. Then just use caution when pouring that you don’t add more than 1/4 cup of water since some will melt)

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper (or: 1/4 teaspoon regular pepper and the zest of 1/2 lemon)

• 1 packed cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

• 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (or just more shredded Cheddar, or grated Parm, or really any cheese)

• Cooking spray, or a whisked egg yolk, or melted butter, or milk

The simplest, most delicious side salad:

• 4 packed cups arugula

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (ideally a nice thick one, or even a balsamic glaze)

• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Slice 1 pound tomatoes 1/4-inch thick and place them on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and set aside.

Now let’s make the pie crust! In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Use a chef’s knife to quarter 1 stick of butter, lengthwise, into 4 long pieces, then thinly slice the butter into tons of tiny little pieces. Toss the butter pieces into the bowl of flour and use your fingers to pinch the little pieces of butter until they’re all combined into the flour mixture in little flaky pieces.

Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over the flour mixture and use a fork to stir it in. Use your hands to try to pinch everything together into a big dough ball. If it’s still too dry to stick together, add a tiny bit more water.

Sprinkle flour over a clean surface (I just use the kitchen counter) and dump the dough out onto the surface. Sprinkle flour over top too. Use the heel of your hand to finish blending the dough together, then gather it into a ball and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper over top and use a rolling pin (or wine bottle) to spread the dough into a 12-inch wide circle. Nothing about this needs to be perfect — the edges will be shaggy and uneven, you might make an oval instead of a circle, all good!

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. Spread 1/4 cup mayo over the crust, leaving a 1 1/2-inch-ish border. Over the mayo, sprinkle a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper, and 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese.

Use clean paper towels to dry any excess moisture off of the tomatoes, then layer them over the cheese, leaving the 1 1/2-inch border. You’ll shingle them on — you want them to overlap by about 1/2 of each tomato.

Fold the dough over the tomatoes to form a crimped crust.

Sprinkle 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese over top. Spray the crust with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter, or egg yolk, or milk). This will help it take on a nice pretty brown color versus remaining beige!

Transfer the galette (still on the bottom sheet of parchment paper) to a baking sheet (either a new one or the same one you used for the tomatoes — but be sure it’s completely dry!) and bake for 45 to 50 minutes on the center rack in the oven, until the crust is a nice light golden-brown color.

Let the galette rest for at least 5 minutes. Top with 3 tablespoons thinly sliced basil.

While it’s resting, in a large bowl toss 4 packed cups arugula, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and add more balsamic or seasonings as desired.

Slice the galette however you please and serve it with the side salad!

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Notes:

• Level up: Make this sun-dried tomato and basil mayo and use that instead of regular mayo. Do not blend it until completely smooth — it should be chunky! A few people tried to blend it for too long and caused the mayo to break, so don’t do that :)

• Must have meat: Grilled chicken would be a perfect summery addition to this meal. Try my balsamic basil grilled chicken (which is part of the same recipe as that sun-dried tomato and basil mayo) or this one: the most perfect grilled chicken.

• Prep ahead: You can make the dough up to a day before you plan to bake your galette. Once you’ve rolled it into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook dinner, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temp for about 20 minutes. From there, pick the recipe back up where you left off!

• What to cook when you really don’t feel like cooking. Like I said in the intro: Go with pre-made dough! See the “pie crust” substitution below for my store-bought recs.

• Leftovers are a great thing: Wrap your leftover galette tightly and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. It’s delicious cold or warmed up in the microwave.

• Dairy-free: Use plant-based butter, skip the goat cheese, and use vegan ricotta in lieu of both the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese. (Mayo doesn’t have dairy, but you don’t need both if you’re using df ricotta as the cheese-like base.)

• Gluten-free: A gluten-free all-purpose flour alternative like Cup4Cup or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour

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Substitutions:

• Tomatoes: Early Girls, heirlooms, even halved cherry tomatoes work here! If you hate tomatoes, you can use summer squash or zucchini, salted and patted dry the same exact way, brushed (or sprayed) with extra virgin olive oil before baking.

• Pie crust: See the “gluten-free” note above for a sub for all-purpose flour, if needed. You can also swap the butter for a stick of plant-based butter if you’re cutting dairy. Otherwise: Store-bought pie crust is a wonderful idea here for an even faster meal! Trader Joe’s frozen pie crusts are my absolute favorite — just be sure to let them thaw completely in the fridge before using. Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts are also great!

• Mayo: Ricotta, cream cheese (make sure it’s very soft!), or Boursin cheese

• Garlic powder: 1 garlic clove, grated and sprinkled all over the mayo

• Lemon pepper: 1/4 teaspoon regular pepper and the zest of 1/2 lemon

• Sharp Cheddar cheese: This is the best and most classic! But use whatever semi-hard cheese you like, such as Gouda or Manchego. Freshly grated is the best way to go, but it’s OK to use pre-shredded if needed.

• Fresh basil: If you don’t have fresh basil, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of a dried herb such as basil, thyme, or oregano over the mayonnaise (instead of on top, where the fresh basil would have gone, because I want the dried herbs to “come back to life” in the oven).

• Goat cheese: More shredded Cheddar, grated Parm, or really any cheese

• Cooking spray: Brushing mayo, butter or egg yolk on is also an option.

• Arugula: Mixed greens or thinly sliced kale (just massage the kale a few times with your hands to soften it up!)

• EVOO: Olive oil or another oil you like the taste of

• Balsamic vinegar: Lemon juice

• Extra ingredient: If you have them in your pantry, add some pepitas, pistachios, or sunflower seeds to your salad for some extra nutrients and flavor!

Summer Tomato Galette

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