Tomato and Cheese Galette
Herby, cheesy, salty, a little sweet, this Tomato and Cheese Galette is so good and go easy to make! It is perfect for this time of year when the tomatoes are overflowing from the garden. Don't be intimidated. The pie crust is so easy to make and everything comes together so easily.
It is officially that time of year where the tomatoes are bountiful, almost too bountiful. Here in the Midwest, tomatoes grow like weeds. They love the humidity and the heat that we get throughout most of the summer months. They really thrive here and they can be really fun to grow!
Now, I am not a professional gardener, not even close! But I do love to cook with tomatoes and other fresh produce from my garden. I have found that the tomato I struggle with the most is the big slicer. These can be called a beefsteak tomato, pink lady, heirloom tomatoes. I am talking about any large tomato that you want to top a sandwich or burger with.
My issue is that really the only thing you can do with them is top a sandwich or burger with them. Well recently, I had a thought. Maybe I should combine my favorite way to make a pie with these tomatoes I don't know what to do with! And here it is, the Cheese and Tomato Galette.
What is a Galette?
A galette is the most simple dessert to make, in my opinion. All you need is pie crust and a filling. You essentially are making a free form pie so there is no worrying about getting squished into a pie pan or making the edges look pretty. It is supposed to be rustic and imperfect. They are so fun to make because there is less pressure. If you have tried a pie but struggle with the crust tearing or just don't like how they turn out overall, try a galette.
Details and Tips!
The tomato and cheese galette includes a homemade pie crust that has some extra parmesan cheese in it. It is so easy to make and so so yummy! The trick to any pie crust is making sure the butter, egg, and water and very cold. This will yield a flaky crust. When mixing the crust, it might seem a little dry, just keep mixing, folding it with your hands a few times, and it will come together. You want the pie crust to be a little crumbly. It has to rest for 30 minutes, up to a few hours.
While the pie crust is chilling in the fridge, slice your tomatoes. Place them in a single layer on a wire rack with a pan or paper towel under it. Sprinkle them with a little salt to allow the water to come out. Let them sit for 30 minutes or so and then dab them with a paper towel.
Once your pie crust has chilled, you roll it out into a pretty thin circle, around an 1/8th of an inch. I recommend rolling it out on parchment paper so you don't have to worry about it sticking to your counter. Once it is rolled out, simply transfer it to a baking sheet to start assembling.
Add on the cheese. Sprinkle the herbs on. Top with tomatoes. And then fold the edges of the pie crust up in sections. Once you get going, it will become natural to keep folding the pie crust up, creating little folds. Brush with a little heavy cream or egg wash and there you have it!
What you need!
- all purpose flour
- unsalted butter
- salt
- pepper
- parmesan cheese
- apple cider vinegar
- water - ice cold
- tomatoes
- cheddar cheese - shredded
- basil
- dill
Customize!
While this recipe has a homemade pie crust, that is completely optional. If that is too much or if you are short on time, you could certainly use a store bought pie crust and get a similar result.
The kind of cheese you use here is up to you. I used cheddar cheese because that is what I had on hand. Gruyere cheese would be great in this. You just want something with a lot of flavor that melts well.
Explore more!
I hope you have fun making this Tomato and Cheese Galette! Please share your creations with us on social media or in the comments. We love to hear from you! Enjoy!
Tomato and Cheese Galette
It is cheesy, salty, sweet, and the perfect way to use up your garden tomatoes! I have fallen in love with this galette and I know you will too!
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cubed)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or distilled white vinegar)
- 4 tablespoons cold water
For the filling
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 3 large slicer tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- heavy cream (for brushing)
- For the pie crust
- In a mixing bowl, add in the flour, salt, and cheese. Give it a quick toss. Add in the cold butter. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of peas.
- Add in the egg and gently work it into the flour and butter mixture. Then add in the water and vinegar. Work that into the flour until the dough starts to come together. Fold the dough a few times with your hands, gathering all of the little flour bits and working the dough into a disc. Try not to work with the dough too much.
- For the filling
- While the pie crust is chilling in the fridge, slice your tomatoes. Place them in a single layer on a wire rack with a pan or paper towel under it. Sprinkle them with a little salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes or so and then dab them with a paper towel to get off as much moisture as you can.
- Once your pie crust has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the disc of dough on a piece of parchment paper. Roll it out into a pretty thin circle, an 1/8th of an inch. Transfer the parchment paper and dough onto a sheet tray.
- Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, leaving a 1/2 inch boarder of dough all the way around. Next, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Then, top that with the basil and dill.
- Arrange the tomatoes on top of the cheeses, layering them as you want. Then, fold the edges of the pie crust up in small sections, letting it fall over itself as you go.
- Brush the top of the pie crust with heavy cream.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until the galette is bubbling and the crust is a deep golden brown.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing!