A RUSTIC TOMATO GALETTE THAT TASTES LIKE SUMMER

Tomato season is in full swing and we couldn’t be happier with our harvest. Kris has been canning crushed tomatoes, sauce, salsas, and even a delicious spicy tomato jam (coming to the blog soon). As for me, I have been eating a tomato salad for lunch everyday and I’m not stopping until the end of the season!

Today we’re baking a Goat Cheese & Pesto Tomato Galette. I must admit, I’m obsessed with galettes! They’re really easy to bake, you can go sweet or savory, and the more imperfect they look the better. I like to refer to any dish with charming mishaps or imperfections as “rustic”—nobody will know the difference! The creamy goat cheese combined with the pungent herbal flavors of pesto, and the sweetness of tomatoes is simply summer on a plate. The key to a delicious tomato galette? The tomatoes obviously! Make sure they are ripe, sweet , and recently picked.

I may have mentioned this before but I absolutely love this crust recipe! It’s really easy to make, bakes well, and it seems to hold in the juices perfectly with no soggy bottom. The cornmeal addition gives the crust a wonderful texture and if you like it, this crust is great to use with other recipes, including sweet fruit galettes.

See our simple recipe below and happy tomato season everyone!

Print Recipe
Goat Cheese & Pesto Tomato Galette
Instructions
Make the crust
  1. In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times until combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse until you end up with small pieces of butter, similar to the size of rice. Add 1/4 cup cold water to the dough and pulse until it comes together. If needed add 1-2 tablespoons more of cold water until the dough comes together. Place dough onto a floured work surface, knead a couple of times and form into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the pesto
  1. Combine basil leaves, sunflower seeds (or nuts) and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced. Slowly add the oil and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine.
Make the filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Take your dough from the fridge. Flour work surface and roll out the dough in a circle to about 1/8” thickness. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer dough to baking sheet. Generously spread the pesto evenly over the bottom of the dough leaving a 3” boarder around the edges (you’ll have leftover pesto). Crumble the goat cheese over the pesto. Now add the tomato slices and half of the cherry tomatoes, reserving the remaining half for topping. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold the edge of the dough over the tomatoes. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the crust.
  2. Bake the galette for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes are lightly charred. Allow to cool 5 minutes and top galette with fresh cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.