A lot of what I cook here in Mexico depends on what I happen to see in the moment. I could see something one day, and the next day it’s gone. I have learned to move fast, and if I choose not to, I don’t allow myself to be mad the next day when my food item has already been purchased by some other happy expat.
This Galette came about because I saw these colorful tomatoes and just had to have them. Aren’t they beautiful? I’m sure you can buy these all the time, but I can’t, so please, indulge me.
As stated previously, I am not an artiste. I am a cook. I do not excel at making things look beautiful, I do not have the patience or the eye for it. I have tried making cakes for special occasions when friends have asked, but frankly, it stresses me out. So now I have a system: I bake, and I beg my talented 20-something-year-old friend to come and decorate for me. Her and my daughter sit for hours and play with fondant and cut-outs and always come up with something beautiful.
That’s how this Galette came about. An easy crust, that doesn’t have to measure to anything except to fit on the pan that I’m baking it on. I love the dough, the cornmeal makes it more rustic.
You really could do whatever you like to mix this up. I put my favorite combination of cheese and veggies in it, but you can add your own combination of veggies or cheese. Before I even make the dough, I cooked down a few leeks and let it cool. Then I made the dough. Here’s a tip for those of you in hot climates: put your pastry utensils in the freezer or fridge before using them. I use those handy plastic cutting boards from the dollar store when I am working with dough. It makes it easy to transfer my dough from the board to my baking tray, or pie pan if you’re making a pie. I put my rolling pin and the floppy board in the freezer so it’s nice and cold and therefore offsets the horrible humidity that makes baking here not so fun.
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t do this for the first crust. And so it ended up sticking to my counter and would not transfer properly and, well, needless to say, was a total failure. I was so irritated I forgot to take a picture. Perhaps it’s more like I was embarrassed that I never seem to learn my lesson.
I started again and make sure my utensils were cold and voila, a beautiful crust. It looked like this after it got rolled out and was topped with the cooled leeks and cheese of my choice, which was Manchego, a cheese that is easily found here in Mexico and similar to Mozzarella, and Feta.
Then I added those beautiful tomatoes, sliced in half.
Then I went about folding up the edges. I love this part, it’s actually where the messier your edges are, the nicer it looks. ( I can work with that).
Then this beauty got baked until that crust was golden brown. We cut this up like pizza and it was gobbled up quickly.
Try it today and let me know what combinations you like!
INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 TAB sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 cup + 1-2 TAB buttermilk
FILLING:
- 2 leeks, sliced thin
- 1 TAB olive oil
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or any white cheese of your choice)
- about 1 1/2 cups multi-colored cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
DIRECTIONS:
Saute the leeks in oil until softened and slightly browned. Set aside to cool
Crust: Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add butter. Use a pastry cutter to cut into dry mixture, doing so until mixture looks crumbly. Add 1/3 cup buttermilk and stir to combine. (You may need to add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk to create a dough that sticks together). Transfer dough to floured surface and knead into a ball.
Place dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and roll into a circle about 12-14 inches round. Sprinkle the leeks, leaving about a 1 inch border around the edge. Add cheese, then tomatoes. Gently fold edges toward the middle, on top of the filling. Sprinkle basil on top and salt and pepper.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then slide tart onto a cutting board and serve.
Adapted from: Recipe Girl
ORANGELOLLS 