This is by far the quickest, tastiest and no fail galette pastry recipe I could find (Thank you Smitten Kitchen!). We have used this recipe more than a handful of times and it’s a winner. The nice thing about this recipe is that the filling can vary depending on what you have on hand (as long as the ingredients are pre cooked and cooled). The galettes can even be sweet - simply add 1 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar to dough and you can even substitute yogurt for ricotta if you like.
Ingredients:
Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
8 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
*Note: Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. If frozen, thaw in fridge before use.
Filling:
2 tbsp butter
3lbs/6 medium leeks, white part only - washed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 tbsp lemon juice plus zest of one lemon
8 - 10oz of assorted cheese, mix of hard and soft (Gruyere, feta, blue, gouda, parmesan) - shredded/crumbled
4 anchovies - rinsed and finely minced (or 2 tsp of anchovy paste)
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp dried chili flakes
2 medium potatoes - thinly sliced
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 - 4 tsp of rosemary and/or thyme
2 tbsp of cream/whipping cream
1 egg - lightly beaten
Note: As mentioned above, filling ingredients can vary here. I have done a mushroom and cabbage filling with no cheese and different herbs and then served with a yogurt/horseradish dip - Yum!
Method:
To make pastry:
Stir together flour and salt. Grate in cold butter. Use finger tips to slowly work butter into dry mixture so pieces are no bigger than small peas. In a separate small bowl, mix together yogurt, lemon juice and water and then add to butter/flour mixture. With a wooden spoon or finger tips mix until somewhat blended. Pat lumps into a ball. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days. You can also freeze for later use (thoroughly defrost but keep refrigerated until use).
To make filling:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large pan, melt butter then add leeks and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cover and cook on low heat until leeks are soft and tender (about 30 minutes). If mixture starts to stick add water as needed. Once cooked, remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let cool.
In a small bowl combine cheeses, anchovy, garlic, chili flakes, cream salt, pepper, herbs and lemon zest.
Lightly coat potatoes with 2 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until barely cooked, about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
To assemble:
Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Remove pastry from fridge. Divide into 4 equal parts. On a floured counter, roll out pieces into a rough circles, about 8 inches round. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Divide cheese mixture between pastry circles and spread over the centre leaving about a 2 inch border. Divide potatoes evening over each cheese mixture. It is ok if they overlap and stack a bit here. Now add cooked leeks on top of potatoes. Make sure to leave that keep that 2 inch border. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt or grated parmesan cheese.
Fold pastry border in towards centre over filling, crimping the pastry as you fold. Work your way around the galette until the entire border is folded towards centre. Leave a small opening at centre to reveal filling. Brush the edges of the pastry lightly with egg glaze. Repeat with remaining 3 galettes.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with a peppery arugula salad.
Note: The pastry, cooled filling, as well as, assembled galettes can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to bake them.
Serves 4