The Galette: A Magic Fridge-Cleaner
“It’s getting scary out there guys. Hang in there.” — These haunting words from a Chef Instructor with decades of industry experience reverberated in my head. Of course, he was referring to the difficult times that were just beginning to impact the culinary industry (and many other industries) due to the novel coronavirus.
The fact is, for many people, daily life has been turned upside down and people are spending much more time in their kitchens, uncovering (or rediscovering) the joys of home cooking, and thinking through how to create wholesome, comforting, and filling meals using basic pantry ingredients. To that end, I’m offering a few of my go-to solutions for simple meals using cupboard staples and leftovers.
This first is not a recipe, but a technique used to turn sorry-looking leftovers into something that’s not just palatable, but delightful. Dare I say party-worthy. Introducing: The Galette. It’s the pie’s younger brother. It’s the ultimate fridge-cleaner-outer. It can be savory or sweet and it’s possible to go from tupperware to tableside entrée in 35 minutes (assuming you have pre-made dough).
I’m use a pie crust recipe from Bon Appetit (subbing in vegan butter) and provide a few recommendations for filling combinations. First, here’s a quick step-by-step for how to assemble a galette, using a savory Southern Gumbo Galette that I made recently:
First, roll out your pie dough. You can add optional seasonings to the dough. Since this galette was being filled with gumbo, I sprinkled the dough with a Cajun seasoning blend and some vegetarian bacon bits (McCormick’s brand). If your filling has high liquid content (like this Gumbo), you can help prevent seepage/soggy crusts by adding a layer of breadcrumbs.
Next, I usually add a layer of (vegan) cheese. Cheese is totally optional and where/when you add cheese will depend on your filling. For this Gumbo, I added a layer of crumbled Treeline cream cheese over the breadcrumbs, then a layer of rice (because, Gumbo & rice, I mean come on).
Next, add your fillings. This can be a mish-mash of whatever you think goes well together. I used leftover gumbo stew and topped it with more cheese, sliced vegan sausage, and sundried tomato (I’m always looking to up my umami game).
Now fold in the edges. Be as precise as you want – just try to keep from tearing the dough.
A note on baking: I bake my galettes at 425F, but temperature and bake time will depend on your pie crust recipe, the liquid content of your filling, and how brown/crisp you prefer your galette to be. I usually set the timer for 25 minutes and check in at 3-minute intervals thereafter until it’s at the level of doneness that I prefer.
Done! It’s that easy! Super-customizable, super-affordable (since you’ll likely be using whatever you have laying around), and visually attractive. What are you waiting for?
Now go into your kitchen, open the refrigerator, and survey those leftovers with confidence, envisioning how beautiful and tasty they’ll look when snugly ensconced in a flaky, buttery crust! Let the kitchen shenanigans begin!
Galettes
Ingredients
- 1 C all purpose flour
- 1 C whole-wheat flour or use 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 3/4 C (1 ½ sticks) chilled, unsalted butter cut into pieces (e.g. Earth Balance brand)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or sub white distilled vinegar
- Galette fillings of choice sweet or savory
Instructions
- Combine flours and salt in a food processor. Add cold, cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles medium-grind cornmeal, with a few pebble-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl. Add vinegar and ¼ cold water. Mix with a fork until everything just comes together. Gently knead the dough with your hands until no dry bits remain. Not overworking your dough is key to a flaky crust.
- Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
- At this time, prepare your filling ingredients, if needed. See notes for some filling ideas.
- Preheat oven to 425F. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap the plastic, and roll out into a 14" circle (try to aim for around ⅛" thickness).
- Transfer the rolled-out dough onto a baking tray. Top with fillings of choice (refer to the tips in the above blog post).
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and crisp, and the filling is cooked through.
