Savory Tomato Galette

Before you start

A tomato galette is the easiest savory tart to make: no pan, no crimping, just a round of dough folded loosely around a filling. The challenge is water. Ripe tomatoes are mostly juice, and if they go onto pastry straight from the cutting board, the bottom turns soggy and the slices steam instead of roasting. Salting the slices and letting them drain for 30 minutes pulls out a surprising amount of liquid and concentrates their flavor.

A thin layer of Dijon mustard and grated Gruyère under the tomatoes adds sharpness and acts as a barrier, and a little fine cornmeal in the crust gives it crunch. Use the ripest, meatiest tomatoes you can find; a mix of colors and sizes looks best, and cherry tomatoes can fill the gaps.

Ingredients

• Cornmeal crust180 g (1½ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 30 g (3 tbsp) fine yellow cornmeal
• ¾ tsp fine salt
• 140 g (½ cup plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter — very cold, cubed
• 60 to 75 ml (4 to 5 tbsp) ice water
• Filling500 g (about 3 medium) ripe tomatoes, sliced 6 mm (¼ in) thick — plus a handful of halved cherry tomatoes if you like
• ½ tsp fine salt — for drawing out juice
• 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• 100 g (1 cup grated) Gruyère or sharp white cheddar
• 1 clove garlic, very thinly sliced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• to taste black pepper
• Finish1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
• small handful fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Whisk the flour, cornmeal and salt. Cut in the butter until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces. Sprinkle in ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds when pressed. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
2. Lay the tomato slices on a rack or paper towels in one layer and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt. Leave them for 30 minutes, then blot both sides firmly dry.
3. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a rack in the lower third. Roll the dough on parchment into a 30 cm (12 in) round about 3 mm thick and slide it, on the parchment, onto the baking sheet.
4. Spread the mustard over the dough, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) border. Scatter the cheese over the mustard, then overlap the tomato slices on top. Add the garlic, thyme and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Fold the border up and over the edge of the filling, pleating the dough every few centimeters. Brush the folded crust with egg wash.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is deep golden, the bottom is browned when you lift an edge with a spatula, and the tomatoes look concentrated and slightly charred at the edges.
7. Rest on the sheet for 15 minutes, then scatter with basil, slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips for success

• Do not skip blotting. Salted tomatoes left wet on top release that brine straight into the cheese layer.
• Bake in the lower third so the base gets direct heat. If the top browns too fast, move it up a rack for the last 10 minutes.
• Patch any thin spots or tears in the dough with a scrap before filling; leaks under the parchment scorch.

Substitutions

Gruyère

Ricotta mixed with Parmesan makes a creamier, milder base. Fresh goat cheese adds tang and works well with cherry tomatoes.

Cornmeal

Replace it with the same weight of flour for a plain, flakier crust, or use whole wheat flour for a nuttier one.

Dijon mustard

Basil pesto spread thinly is a good swap, though it is oilier and softens the base a little more.

Variations

Zucchini and ricotta

Replace the tomatoes with thinly sliced zucchini, salted and drained, over 150 g ricotta seasoned with lemon zest.

Caramelized onion

Spread 150 g caramelized onions over the cheese before adding the tomatoes.

Troubleshooting

The bottom is soggy

The tomatoes were not drained or the galette baked too high. Salt, rest and blot the slices, and bake on the lowest third of the oven.

The crust opened and juices ran out

The border was too narrow or the dough cracked. Leave 5 cm, pleat it snugly and patch cracks before baking.

The tomatoes taste watery and bland

They were underripe. Use peak-season tomatoes and bake until the edges brown.

Storage

The galette is best on the day it is baked. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 2 days; reheat at 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes to recrisp the crust. The unbaked dough disc keeps for 2 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw dough. Contains wheat, egg and milk. Wash tomatoes under running water before slicing.