This galette? It’s going to be gracing your Thanksgiving table.
Because not only is it wildly simple to prepare, beyond gorgeous to present, and blatantly dripping with holiday indulgence, it manages to achieve what only few recipes can ever claim to be.
It is a true, genuine, classic. That rare ruby of a recipe that reenvisions a sole ingredient into something undeniably spectacular, something your guests will be raving about for ages.
And it’s actually the second time we’re eating it.
I first made this galette back in 2013, and it was immediately a huge success. It’s consistently one of my best performing recipes throughout the year, and during the holiday season the traffic on it ticks up even more. So seeing as I’ve made significant strides in my baking and my photo taking since ye old galette was made, I figured one of my best deserved my best, so a reboot was in order.
And just as the title indicates, this baby is new, improved, and ready to groove.
My refined photog skills are glaringly (and thankfully!) obvious, but even with some minor changes the deliciousness factor has pretty much stayed the same. I’ve made this galette countless times (10? 12? something like that) and along the way three important tweaks were made, all of which are on display here.
By order of importance:
3.) Light Butter and I no longer coexist.
I won’t repeat myself for the umpteenth time (much as I love the sound of my own rambling) but this year marked a huge transition in how I source, consider, and frankly understand food, and since my fast and furious farmer’s market indoctrination the idea of cooking with something like light butter makes me want to hang my head in shame. So since overly processed, preservative-laden foods are no longer a part of my diet or the recipes I post here, this improved galette features the REAL stuff – Full-fat, organic, grass-fed buttah.
2.) EXTRA Cheese.
I know, shocking. But after making this a billion times I’ve realized that 1/2 a cup of shredded fontina just isn’t enough chee, so I bagged that basic bitch mistake and upped the amount to a solidly cheesy whole cup.
1.) The pie crust is from scratch.
THIS. So huge.
First, making my own crust is not only a testament to my insane baking progress (yay!) but it also loops back to that farmers market gibberish, too. When I first started blogging I was your average 26-year-old who didn’t think twice about buying (or living on) pre-packaged everything. But the more I learn about what I eat, how I eat it, all that good stuff, the more I genuinely want to (and love to!) make everything from scratch, and pie crust is no exception. The Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts that I espouse in the original recipe are really great in a pinch, but absolutely nothing compares to making crust from scratch.
This is the same dough recipe that I used for my heirloom tomato galette, so you lovelies are already familiar. A basic mix of flour, butter, water, and a touch of salt + sugar is all you need to pull it together, and with a crazy flaky finish that’s buttery, sweet, and has the texture of a damn cloud, you’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff again. Plus! With my super clutch butter-blending secret (grate that ‘ish! more details here) this crust is practically foolproof, so proceed sans fear.
And when you put 1 + 2 + 3? You get a new & improved Sweet Onion Galette that’s just as badass as the original, but also a little bit better, too.
The combination of true butter + extra cheese amps the quality of flavor / general sinfulness of this galette, and the homemade pie crust makes an epic impact in taste, texture, presentation, ALL of it. And with a truly simple cooking process – make the dough, make the filling, slop ’em together, then bake! – and a focus on a few quality ingredients rather than a whole bunch of nonsense, this galette truly has timeless written all over it. The filling needs just 8 ingredients (eight!! so easy peeps), the dough needs just 45 minutes to chill (low-maintenance lyyyyfe) and it bakes in just an hour (waiting is the hardest part) so basically there’s no excuse NOT to be making this for Thanksgiving.
Ya feel me?!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! allll the feels.
Sweet Onion Galette w/ Fontina & Thyme
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:
- 2 tbsps Salted Butter
- 4 cups Diced Yellow Onion (approx. 3 large onions)
- 2 tsps Crushed or Minced Garlic
- 2 tsps Fresh Thyme
- Sea Salt & Coarse Black Peppercorn (to taste)
- 2 tbsps All Purpose Flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Fontina Cheese, shredded
- 1 Large Egg, Beaten
Directions:
- 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.
- 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.
- While dough chills, prepare the filling. In large skillet melt butter over medium-high flame, then add the onions, garlic, thyme, and salt & pepper, sautéing until soft and translucent, ~15 minutes. Reduce flame to low, then add in flour, stirring quickly until well combined. Once flour is evenly incorporated slowly add heavy cream, combining gradually until a thick mixture forms. Allow all ingredients to simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkling the top with a touch of flour.
- With a floured rolling-pin roll out the chilled dough into a 1/8″ thick sheet, then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle ~ 1/3 of the fontina in a circular motion over the rolled-out dough (leaving a roughly 2″ border along the edges), then top with onions and remaining cheese. Next, on an angle fold up the dough around the onions, then brush dough edges with beaten egg. Bake galette for 1 hour* until the crust is golden and the cheese has just begun to brown, then serve immediately, garnishing with additional thyme if desired.
>> Every oven is different, so begin watching the galette at the 45-minute mark for doneness.
best thang evaaaa!!!!! (for reals)