Fresh Takes on a Spring Galette

Now that it’s May, the market is popping off! All sorts of greens are available, from Swiss chard to different lettuces and herbs, baby zucchini, asparagus and broccolini. Strawberries from New Jersey made their debut and tender rhubarb was abundant. Pastry & Baking Arts Chef-Instructor Vicki Wells created savory and sweet galettes inspired by this seasonal spread.

Here are a few tips to help you recreate these delicious pies at home:

• Think of these galettes as templates for the incoming spring and summer produce or your favorite foods. Swap goat cheese for feta, or add in eggplant, summer squash or mushrooms to the savory pie. Peaches, raspberries and apricots also pair well with rhubarb so switch up the classic dessert duo and try something new.
• When mixing the buttermilk galette dough, Chef Vicki recommends stopping when you still have visible pieces of butter (pea-sized). As the dough bakes, the butter forms pockets and boils, creating steam which gives the galette a flaky mouthfeel. 
• Try not to add too much flour as you’re rolling out the dough. Chef Vicki explains that a little sticking to the counter will make it easier to roll out the dough, and excess flour will impact the final taste.
• For the savory galette: Chef Vicki notes that it’s important for the dough and filling to cook at the same time. If the vegetables were put into the galette raw, they would be too hard when the dough was cooked through. Instead, she roasts each vegetable separately — as they cook at different speeds too — before filling the galette. 
• For the sweet galette: To kick this dessert up a notch, Chef Vicki shares that you can add crumble or frangipane under the fruit in the center, but it’s just delicious as is too!

 

 

 

 

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More from this series:

• Chef Penny's Bourbon Sweet Potato Quick Bread
• What is a Jerusalem Artichoke?
• Celery Root with Sage
• Eggplant Manti with Chef Nin
• Chef Penny's Concord Grape Tart 
• Rosemary-Walnut Squash with Chef Gill
• Chef Rémy’s Spring Allium Salad

Recipe

Sweet & Savory Spring Galettes

Ingredients

For the buttermilk galette dough:

• 600 grams all-purpose flour
• 8 grams salt
• 400 grams butter, cut into 1-" cubes and placed in the freezer for a few minutes before using
• About 300 grams buttermilk, very cold

For the savory filling:

• 1 1/2 heads of garlic
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Very flavorful extra-virgin olive oil
• About 2k of filling is needed. I like to use a variety of vegetables, whatever looks good at the market. For this galette, I used baby zucchini, asparagus, broccolini, Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and herbed goat cheese (cubed feta cheese or grated Gruyére are great swap ins). Summer squash, eggplant and mushrooms also work well.

For the sweet filling:

• About 2k of filling is needed for the sweet galette. I used rhubarb and strawberry, about a kilo of each. Fresh apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines also work well and can be combined with blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries if desired.
• About 150 grams vanilla sugar (or plain granulated sugar) The amount of sugar added is dependent on the sweetness of the fruit. Always taste first!

For the egg wash: mix together the below ingredients and keep chilled

• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

For the buttermilk galette dough:

1. If using a stand mixer, place flour and salt in mixer bowl. Add cold butter and, using the paddle attachment, cut butter into the flour on medium speed. Stop mixing when the butter is in smaller (pea-size), but still visible pieces. 
2. With mixer on slow speed, add cold buttermilk in a thin stream to the flour/butter mixture. 
3. When buttermilk is almost all used, and mixture is barely holding together in a rough mass, remove it from the mixer and pour onto work surface. Add remaining buttermilk, lightly fluffing it into the flour mixture. A few drops more liquid may be needed.
4. When the flour mixture is moist enough to hold together into a rough dough, divide it into two flat discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm.
5. Meanwhile, make galette fillings. 

Note: If using a food processor to make the dough, place flour and salt in the processor, add the cold butter and pulse 5-6 times to incorporate the butter into the flour. Then add the cold buttermilk in 3-4 additions, pulsing after each. Finish the dough on the work surface, same as above.

For the savory galette:

1. To make the roasted garlic, break up 1 1/2 heads of garlic and put them in foil, unpeeled. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle them with the olive oil. Wrap completely and put in the convection oven at 325˚F. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until very soft. Let cool, then squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin and reserve. Discard the peel.
2. For the vegetables, cut zucchini, asparagus and broccolini into bite-size chunks. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Roast in the same 325˚F oven until softened and lightly browned at the edges. The Swiss chard can be treated the same way but the leaves and stems need to be roasted separately. The cherry tomatoes can be halved and seasoned, but not roasted. The goat cheese should be cubed. 
3. Toss veggies, goat cheese, roasted garlic and some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano together in a bowl. Adjust seasoning as desired. 
4. Roll out one of the discs of galette dough into a circle of about 14". Place the dough on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place the filling in the center of the circle, leaving about a 2-" border. 
5. Fold the edges of the galette dough over the filling, pleating the dough but leaving the center of the galette exposed. Brush the galette dough with egg wash and sprinkle the whole galette with more Parmigiano-Reggiano. 
6. Bake the galette at 325˚F for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown all over. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

For the sweet galette:

1. Lightly peel the rhubarb and cut into 1-" pieces, cut the strawberries in half. 
2. Place the fruit in a bowl and sprinkle with about 150 grams of vanilla sugar. The amount of sugar added is dependent on the sweetness of the fruit, so make sure to taste it! 
3. The sweet galette is formed the same way as the savory galette above. 
4. Brush with egg wash before baking and sprinkle with a little more vanilla sugar or plain sugar, then bake for about 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown all over.