Sunday, July 24, 2016

Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Galette with Ricotta-Parmesan Filling

When Gil first tried this galette he remarked, hey - this is kinda like a pizza! Well, sure, the toppings would be perfect for a pizza, but a galette is a totally different animal. It's really a French-style pastry round that can have either a sweet or savory filling. The crust is flaky and buttery, hence closer to a pie's or tart's, but what separates it from the pack is the fact that it's free-form rather than baked in a pie or tart pan. I adapted this recipe from one featured in the latest King Arthur Flour catalog. Along with other minor tweaks, I substituted the Vermont Cheese Powder and Pizza Seasoning called for in their recipe with grated parmesan and assorted seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt), and also added garnishes such as fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Great served as a first course or appetizer, but can be a meal in itself. Btw, if you're freaked out about making pastry dough, don't be - the key is to handle the dough as little as possible and make sure you can still see at least pea-sized specks of butter throughout. That's the trick to super flaky and tender crust - so much easier than making bread, which requires a lot of muscle-power with all that kneading.



CRUST:
1 1/2 cups pastry flour
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
5-7 tbsp. ice cold water

EGG WASH:
1 large egg
1 tbsp. water

FILLING:
1 large or 3 medium-small zucchinis (12-14 oz.), cut into 1/4" slices
1 pint ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1 large egg
3/4 cup (6 oz.) whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. shredded or grated parmesan

OPTIONAL GARNISHES:
Fresh basil
Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes

CRUST:
1. Combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until the mixture is crumbly (the butter should be the size of large peas and not completely blended into the flour.

2. Add enough cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour-butter mixture, stirring gently until the dough is just moist enough to come gather together into a ball. Dough should not be too moist.

3. Pat the dough into a disk shape (do not knead or overwork the dough, as this will make the crust tough). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

FILLING:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and brush lightly with olive oil.

3. Place zucchini slices in a single layer on one pan and the tomato halves on the other. Sprinkle each with a bit of onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt, according to your taste (I tend to go light on the salt).

4. Roast the tomatoes and zucchini 15-20 minutes or until tender and barely starting to brown (do not overcook, or you'll end up with zucchini chips). Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes.

5. In the meantime, combine the ricotta with 1 egg, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 2 tbsp. grated parmesan, and 1 tsp. lemon zest in a bowl; set aside.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING:
1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. On a lightly floured surface (I also flour my roller to keep the dough from sticking onto it). Roll the dough into a 12" circle, 1/8"-1/4" thick. Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough, but not all the way to the edge (leave about a 1 1/2" of dough bare along the perimeter).

4. Layer the roasted zucchini slices (slightly overlapping, like roof shingles) over the filling, then top with the roasted tomato halves.

5. Whisk together 1 large egg and 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl for the egg wash.

6. Fold the bare edges of the dough over so it forms a pie-crust like edge around the galette. Brush the edges of the crust with egg wash and then sprinkle 1 tbsp. of shredded or grated parmesan over the veggies/filling.

7. Bake the galette 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

8. If desired, garnish with fresh basil, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and/or a drizzle of olive oil (you can serve these on the side and let your guests add their own garnishes).


For the dough: cake four, ice water, grated parmesan salt, butter.

Combine all the dry ingredients for the dough into a bowl, then cut in the cubes of unsalted butter with a pastry cutter (you can also use two butter knives held together, or even your fingers).

Cut the butter in the flour mixture until it's the size of large peas.

Add enough ice cold water (5-7 tbsp.) to the butter-flour mixture and gently stir together until the dough just comes together into a ball. Don't over mix (no kneading required) and don't add too much water. 

Gather the dough into a ball.

Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, place in a Ziplock-type bag, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

Sliced zucchini and halved grape/cherry tomatoes.

Place the halved tomatoes on a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet that's been brushed lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and Italian seasoning.

Repeat the same with the zucchini slices. Roast the tomatoes & zucchini at 425F for 15-20 minutes or until they are softened and just barely starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes. 

For the filling: 1 egg, ricotta, grated parmesan, salt, pepper and lemon zest. 

Filling.

Roll the dough disk out on a floured surface (I'm using my granite countertop here) to a 12" round, about 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Lightly flour the rolling pin, too, to keep the dough from sticking onto it.

Transfer the dough round to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Top the dough round with the ricotta filling, leaving about 1 1/2" of bare dough around the perimeter.

Layer the roasted zucchini slices, then the tomatoes over the filling; sprinkle 1 tbsp. of shredded or grated parmesan over the top.

Fold the edges of the dough over and brush with egg wash.

Bake the galette at 425F for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly. 

Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. 



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