Tomato Pie make way for Cherry Tomato Galette with pesto and sharp cheddar cheese! If you love tomato pie, you will flip for this galette which is crispier, flakier, savory and bursting with tomato goodness.  There is none of the sogginess that you inevitably get with classic tomato pie.

Crust:

1          stick salted butter, cool but not ice cold

2          teaspoons granulated sugar

1 ¼      cups all-purpose flour

2          teaspoons apple-cider vinegar

1 ½      tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary

Filling:

3          cups assorted cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

1/3      cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

2          tablespoons pesto or more to taste

            Kosher salt to taste

1          generous cup hand-grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Cut cool butter into about 12 pieces and set aside.  Mix sugar and flour together and add butter.  If you aren’t using salted butter, add a few pinches of salt to the mixture.  With kitchen gloves on, use your hands and toss the butter with the flour to coat.  Using a light touch, smush and rub the butter gently with the flour until it is all incorporated and looks like rough crumbs.  Add the vinegar and the ice water and using two fingers, stir the bowl until the dough comes together.  Knead it gently a couple of times and pat it into a disc shape.  It should come together easily.  If it doesn’t, add a little bit more ice water.  Wrap the disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  This will give the flour in the dough time to fully hydrate and it will be easier to work with.

Meanwhile, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl that is lined with paper towels on both the top and the bottom. Let the cut tomatoes sit for an hour to remove excess moisture.

Preheat your oven to 400 F

Just before you want to make the galette, place the ricotta cheese on a paper towel to remove the surface moisture.  Let sit for a few minutes and discard paper towel.  Add pesto and salt if needed and set aside.  Note: Most ricotta cheese is salted and the salt levels vary as they do with pesto. The tomatoes are not seasoned, so the salt from this filling will season the whole galette.  For that reason, it is ok if it is a little too salty on it’s own.  Start with ½ teaspoon of salt and taste before adding more as both ricotta cheese and pesto are salted. 

Place the disc of dough in the center of a piece of parchment that will fit a sheet pan.

Roll out the dough so that it is about ¼ inch thick.  You may need to use a little flour to prevent sticking but I find that the dough is very easy to work with and doesn’t really need a lot of flour.  If you have any cracks in the dough, you can rub your finger over the dough with a little ice water and it should seal it. 

It will be about 14-inches long when you have it rolled out and doesn’t have to be a perfect circle.  Don’t worry if the edges are ragged.  That will make the nice rustic edge of the galette.  Toss all but about a tablespoon of the cheddar cheese in the middle—and leave a border of at least 3-4 inches.  Spread the ricotta-pesto mixture over the cheddar cheese.  Pile the tomatoes on top.  Starting at one point, lift the dough up and over the mound of tomatoes, small piece by piece and continue in the same direction until you have covered all the tomatoes and you have a rim of dough around the entire perimeter of filling.  Make sure the seal all the edges and any tears with a little ice water and your finger. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the galette. If you want the pastry to be shiny, you can brush it with an egg wash or heavy cream.  I like it baked without any egg  or cream, but it is not as brown or “pretty” baked without a wash.

Pick up the parchment paper from each end and slide it onto the sheet pan.  Place in the pre-heated oven for 55-60 minutes or until the pastry is brown and the tomatoes have cooked.  You will see some oozing juices around the galette, but that is normal.  

Remove the parchment paper with the gallet on it and place on a wire rack for thirty minutes to cool. 

Slice and serve.

ALL RECIPES ©ELIZABETH KARMEL 2020