Late-Summer Tomato & Herb Galette
A quick note from the cottage porch: This journal entry contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you use these links to gather your supplies from Amazon or Walmart, a small commission floats back to the cottage to keep the kettle boiling, at no extra cost to you.
There comes a point every August when the tomatoes become unreasonable.
For weeks, you wait.
You inspect them.
You turn them gently toward the sun.
You have encouraging conversations.
Nothing.
Green.
Green.
Slightly different green.
Then one morning you walk into the garden and apparently every tomato has ripened overnight.
This is how I found myself standing in the kitchen today with six tomatoes, an alarming amount of basil, and the feeling that events had moved beyond my control.
Fortunately, a rustic crust makes any surprise crop look intentional.
So we are having galette.
This is one of my favorite sorts of kitchen magic because it doesn’t require perfection.
The pastry can be crooked.
The tomatoes can be different sizes.
You can use whichever soft cheese is already in the cupboard.
And when the edges fold strangely, you simply call it rustic.
Very useful word, rustic.
It has saved many of my dinners.
Late-Summer Tomato & Herb Galette
Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3–5 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
- 3–4 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup ricotta
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for finishing
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- olive oil, for finishing
First, persuade the tomatoes to behave
Slice the tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick.
Lay them on a clean kitchen towel, sprinkle lightly with the salt, and leave them for about 20 minutes.
This draws out some of their extra moisture and helps prevent the bottom of the galette from becoming soggy.
Tomatoes contain an astonishing amount of water for something that has spent all summer complaining about not receiving enough of it.
Pat them gently dry before assembling the galette.
Make the pastry
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
Work the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until you have a mixture of small flakes and pea-sized pieces.
Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently, just until the dough holds together when pressed.
Shape it into a disk, wrap it, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
You can also use your favorite prepared pie dough.
I will not tell the pastry authorities.
Make the filling
Stir together the ricotta, garlic, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, thyme, basil, and a generous amount of black pepper.
Taste it.
This is technically quality control.
Assemble
Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
Roll the chilled pastry into a roughly 12-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper.
Roughly is an important word here.
Transfer the parchment and pastry to a baking sheet.
Spread the Dijon mustard over the pastry, leaving about a 2-inch border around the outside.
Spread the ricotta mixture over the mustard.
Sprinkle another 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the ricotta, then arrange the tomato slices on top.
They do not need to form a pattern unless arranging tomatoes into patterns brings you joy.
Fold the bare edges of the pastry inward over the tomatoes, pleating wherever the pastry naturally wants to fold.
Brush the crust with beaten egg and scatter the remaining Parmesan over the top.
Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the tomatoes are soft and beginning to caramelize around the edges.
Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
This is difficult.
The cottage will smell extremely convincing.
Remain strong.
To finish
Scatter fresh basil over the warm galette and drizzle with a little olive oil.
A few turns of black pepper are lovely too.
Eat it warm with a green salad.
Eat it on the porch.
Eat it standing at the kitchen counter while telling yourself you’re only checking whether it has cooled properly.
All acceptable.
Maeve’s Kitchen Notes
No ricotta? Goat cheese is lovely. Soft cream cheese will also work, though I would loosen it with a spoonful of milk.
Too many herbs? Excellent. Parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, and basil can all wander in.
Using very juicy tomatoes? Give them the full 20 minutes with the salt and blot them well.
Want a little sweetness? A few very thin slices of caramelized onion beneath the tomatoes are wonderful.
Pastry slightly lopsided?
Rustic.
We’ve discussed this.
I ate the first slice at the kitchen table while the second one was still cooling.
The windows were open.
Something was buzzing sleepily around the rosemary outside.
Smokey appeared just as I sat down, despite having shown absolutely no interest during the forty minutes in which actual assistance might have been useful.
He inspected my plate.
I reminded him that tomatoes were not for cats.
He inspected it again in case circumstances had changed.
They had not.
There is still half a galette on the counter now.
Possibly enough for supper.
Possibly enough for tomorrow.
Possibly not.
August is generous like that.
For a few weeks, the garden gives you more than you quite know what to do with.
So you slice it.
Add herbs.
Wrap the edges in pastry.
And call the whole situation dinner.
— Maeve
☕ Maeve's Cozy Tea RitualsA curated collection of teas, mugs, honey, infusers, and cozy companions inspired by quiet mornings at Moonbeam Cottage.
Browse Maeve's Favorites
