Recipe Highlight: Heirloom Tomato Galette

It’s Farmer's Market Season in the Tahoe Basin! Are you as excited as I am about the cornucopia of farm fresh produce available at the markets? I think perhaps my favorite farmers market find is heirloom tomatoes. These beauties are famous for their richness of flavor and unique taste.

Heirloom tomatoes are varietals that have been grown for at least 50 years without crossbreeding. They are open-pollinated, meaning that they are naturally pollinated by wind, bees, and other factors.

For as long as I can remember, heirloom tomatoes have been my favorite thing to eat during the summer. When tomatoes are juicy and ripe and come in all sorts of fun colors, I am inspired to prepare something that showcases their beauty! So, why not try a tomato galette?

This savory tomato galette is a rustic tart in the French tradition, full of sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes and creamy goat cheese, then folded into a simple pastry crust.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Crust:
1 cup white flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, chilled, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup cold water

Filling:
1½ cups heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 tsp. salt
6 oz. goat cheese
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup sliced fresh basil
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix together the white and whole wheat flours in a large bowl. Spoon about ⅔ of the flour into a food processor. Add the salt. Give the food processor a few pulses to mix everything together. Toss the butter cubes evenly over the surface of the flour. Pulse the flour and butter together until they have combined to form a paste and there is no dry flour left, about 25 pulses. Break up any large clumps of dough with a silicone spatula and then sprinkle the remaining flour into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse 5 more times to allow the dry flour to break up the dough, but don't let it combine with the butter.

Transfer the dough to the large bowl, sprinkle the water over the dough, and use the spatula to mix the water into the dough. Once the dough begins to come together, work the dough with your hands for a few moments, or until you get a nice, smooth ball of dough. Press the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours.

Seed the tomato slices and toss them with the kosher salt. Let them sit for about 30 minutes. Then layer the tomatoes with paper towels and press them gently until they are quite dry. Preheat oven to 400F.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for a while before you begin rolling. You want the dough to be pliable but not soft. If the dough begins to crack around the edges, it is still too cool. Wait a little longer. Cut a piece of parchment paper about the size of your baking pan. Dust the parchment and the dough with flour. Roll out the dough, dusting with more flour as needed, until it's a 13-14-inch circle. Transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking pan.

Sprinkle the goat cheese and Parmesan over the center of the dough circle. Leave a 2-3 inch space around the edges with no cheese. This is the part you will be folding over.

Layer the slices of tomato over the cheese until it is all covered and you have used all or at least most of the tomato. Sprinkle the basil over the top. Fold over the edges of the dough onto the tomato slices, pleating the edges and patting it into place. Brush the dough and tomatoes with olive oil.

Bake the galette for 30-40 minutes. Until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes are soft and starting to brown too. Allow the galette to cool to room temperature, then slice and serve.

--contributed by Jill Rozier
Lake Tahoe Markets
www.LakeTahoeMarkets.com