August 19, 2015

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

I am absolutely giddy over this gorgeous galette.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

From its sea of pungent colors to the crisp, palpable texture, everything about this dish makes me squeal with happiness.  It’s light & bright like a luminous August morning, casually comforting like a breezy summer night, and brimming with the red glow of a beach bungalow at sunset.  It is, in essence, the perfect homage to summer, and it’s exactly what you need to be eating right now.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

In my humblest of very-bossy opinions, the hallmark of a successful recipe is when you can not only smell, but unquestionably SEE that you have made a beautiful, delicious dish.  Even before the first bite, you simply know you’ve made something amazing, and that’s exactly how this galette felt for me – From the second I folded up its doughy edges, I knew this would be one for the books.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

When you’re blessed with incredible ingredients cooking is demonstrably easier, and luckily the Union Square Greenmarket keeps blessing me on the reggy.  The whole farmers market thing was never really my thang, but since moving closer to USQ I have become a full-blown farmers market junkie.  Fresh, organically sourced produce has become part passion, part obsession for me, and that’s exactly how I curated these beautiful heirloom tomatoes.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

If I told you I took 20 minutes to pick out these heirlooms, would you laugh?  Because I totally, completely did.

When I’m cooking for myself I don’t exactly obsess over my produce’s appearance, but when you know you’re going to be photographing for the masses it’s a whooole different ballgame.  Not only am I diligently testing for freshness and firmness, I’m now obsessing over color, and shape, and random indents and impressions that may photograph totally weird OR totally awesome – It could go either way.  So what used to be quick trips to the farmers market are now taking me FOREVER, but secretly I kind of love it.  It’s cool being in the trenches, ankles deep in potato bins and elbows buried into walls of leafy greens, all while talking to the local farmers and artisan purveyors who allow me to rummage through their labors.  It makes you appreciate your food, be more thoughtful about where it comes from, and reminds you that simple, from-the-earth cooking is what works best.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

It was important for me to stay true to my heirlooms with this recipe, so I made sure to keep my focus on earthy, natural elements.  I ultimately decided to keep my ingredients list minimal by adding only goat cheese (farm fresh), caramelized shallots (organic), honey (raw), and thyme (from my garden!) to the mix, which means you can make this entire galette for <10 ingredients, including the dough.

Pretty amazing, huh?

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

Tomatoes and goat cheese are a tried-and-true match, so I knew their combination here would be divine.  But rather than keep things too #basic, I decided to enhance these core ingredients with the help of shallots and honey, both of which were majorly critical to the success of this recipe.

I love shallots for their two birds, one stone ease – They’re like an onion/garlic hybrid, which makes them amazingly versatile and SO easy to incorporate into everything.  Shallots have a lovely taste on their own, but when you caramelize them with a quick sauté in EVOO?  Heaven!  They’re total flavor bombs, with a nutty, sweet, and savory taste that works beautifully against the creamy goat cheese and lightly charred heirlooms.  I’m sure plain onions would work just as tasty here if you need to make a substitute, but I say go for the shallots if you can find them – They really take things up a notch.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

And the honey?!  THE HONEY.

I don’t even know how to properly express into words just how critical the honey is to this recipe, it brings out ALL the best flavors of every other ingredient while simultaneously enhancing the galette’s texture, it’s a straight-up powerhouse.  Whether you go hard and heavy or just lightly drizzle (go hard, trust me) the honey makes the goat cheese creamier and sweeter, the shallots syrupy, and creates a sort of candy-coated base on which you layer the heirlooms.  It’s an all-around all-star in this galette, so absolutely do not skip it!!

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

My dough is a basic recipe that I’ve reincarnated many a time throughout this bloggy – It’s practically fool-proof and takes just minutes to come together, so don’t be scared.  To give my crust that beautiful golden glow I made sure to brush it with egg wash before baking, and I strongly suggest you do the same too – It really makes all the difference in how the crust bakes up, so take the extra 30 seconds and just do it.  And as for folding up your dough’s edges?  The messier the better!  A lopsided crust with random cracks and uneven folds are what galette’s are all about.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

But of course, the shining star of this recipe is without question, the heirloom tomatoes.  Heirlooms have an unmistakable flavor that simply tastes RIPE.  Fresh, crisp, juicy, plump… heirlooms have all the tastes.  They also have the uncanny ability to transition seamlessly from day to night, so whether you make this for brunch, lunch, or as a side with dinner, it works no matter when or how you serve it.

And what, exactly, will your esteemed company be thinking when you present them with this vibrant confection of crimson red, tiger orange, and fern green, all nestled inside a buttery, flaky crust with luscious honeyed goat cheese hidden underneath?

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

SUMMER!  All that will come to mind is pure, perfect summer 🙂 x

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

  • DOUGH:
  • 1/2 cup Salted Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
  • pinch of Salt
  • pinch of Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Cold Water – approx.
  • FILLING:
  • 4 Shallots, diced (approx. 1 cup’s worth)
  • 2 tsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more for drizzling
  • 8 oz Goat Cheese
  • 2 – 3 tbsps Honey
  • 3 – 4 Heirloom Tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt & Coarse Black Peppercorn – approx.
  • 2 tbsps Fresh Thyme
  • 1 Large Egg, beaten

Directions:

  1. Begin by preparing the dough. Using a handheld cheese grater grate butter into a small bowl, then freeze for 10 minutes (scroll this recipe for details). While butter freezes, combine flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl.
  2. When ready, whisk cold grated butter into flour mixture until a mealy texture takes hold, then slowly begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough takes shape. Next, gather dough in a ball and transfer to lightly floured surface before shaping into a flattened round.  Tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 45 minutes until dough is firm and cold.
  3. While dough chills, in small skillet combine shallots and 2 tsps EVOO. Saute over medium-high flame until shallots are lightly caramelized (~10 minutes), then remove from heat to cool.
  4. Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkling the top with a touch of flour.
  5. With a floured rolling-pin roll out the chilled dough into a 1/8″ thick sheet, then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Crumble goat cheese in a circular motion over the rolled-out dough, leaving a roughly 2″ border along the edges. Drizzle a heavy serving of honey over goat cheese, then evenly top with caramelized shallots. Next, liberally season sliced tomatoes with salt & pepper before layering over goat cheese and shallots. Generously drizzle additional EVOO over tomatoes, then lastly sprinkle with thyme.
  6. Fold up the edges of the dough around the tomatoes, then brush the crust with beaten egg. Bake galette for 1 hour* until the crust is golden and the tomatoes have begun to char, then cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

>> Every oven is different, so begin watching the galette at the 45-minute mark for doneness.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thymeso good.

Heirloom Tomato Galette w/ Honeyed Goat Cheese, Caramelized Shallots, & Fresh Thyme
posted by Christine in: Crowd Pleasers
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