Julia’s Perfect Savoury Galette – Three Ways

First thing’s first, pick the best, most juicy fresh vegetables from the market for your toppings. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

The secret to achieving the perfect buttery, golden crust? Butter! And a little bit of sour cream… Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

The ever-radiant Julia. We love you! Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Tomatoes are *on point* at the moment, so Julia fills a whole pastry with them and a touch of oregano. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Once the pastry is wrapped around the tomatoes, the crunchy crust forms a case around the abundant veggies and will contain all their juices. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

The tomatoes will lose some of their zest in the oven but will gain a silky texture plus a rich umami taste. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Julia’s second galette is filled with potato, leek and pancetta. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Simply mouthwatering! Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

If you get the quantities right (don’t overload the galette otherwise you’ll get a soggy base!) the balance between sweet, juicy vegetables and flaky pastry crust will be *chef’s kiss*. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

As they taught in school, eat the rainbow! Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

Silverbeet and feta is a classic combo for a reason… Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files.

There is something so unpretentious about a galette. It’s free form, rustic and never needs to be perfect – in fact the more haphazard, the more beautiful. I’ve made a sweet one here before, I love them a lot! So today I’m happy to bring to you an incredibly versatile savoury version. The pastry is super flaky thanks to, of course the butter, but also the sour cream which gives the pastry extra richness and puff. This recipe is enough for one galette, or you could make smaller individual tarts too. The pastry recipe also doubles or triples nicely if you want to make several galettes for a pastry party!

I’ve made three suggestions for this galette – a leek, potato and pancetta one, a rather classic silverbeet and feta option and one covered in just cherry tomatoes, which are simply incredible right now. The variations are endless, though. Roast pumpkin and goat’s cheese, zucchini with ricotta or garlic mushrooms would also make great fillings. Just keep it fairly simple, and be careful not to overload the galette as too much topping can weigh down the base.

INGREDIENTS

Sour cream pastry
(Makes one galette)
350g plain flour
Sea salt
200g cold unsalted butter, cubed
100g sour cream
1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
Iced water
Egg wash, for brushing

Leek, potato + pancetta topping
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, white part only, quartered lengthways
Sea salt and pepper
3 sprigs thyme
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3tbsp creme fraiche
50g gruyere cheese, grated
1 small potato, very thinly sliced and left to soak in cold water until ready to use
6 thin slices flat pancetta
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

Tomato + oregano topping
750 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 sprigs oregano, plus extra to serve
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Silverbeet + feta topping
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Sea salt
1 bunch silverbeet, tough stems discarded
100g Greek feta
2 tbsp pine nuts

METHOD

Sour Cream Pastry

To make the dough for the pastry, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is pebbly. You want to almost rub the butter into flatter pieces rather than into something that resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sour cream and drizzle in the vinegar. Sprinkle over enough iced water to just bring the dough together. It will still be shaggy but shouldn’t be dry or floury and hold together when pressed. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Allow the pastry to rest out of the fridge for 10 minutes. Line a 25 cm round baking tray with baking paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface into a large roundabout 5 mm thick, massaging the edges as you roll to prevent it from cracking too much. Drape the pastry over the prepared tray.

Arrange your chosen filling onto the base of the pastry, leaving a 7cm border. Fold in the overhanging pastry edge to create a border, pinching it together at intervals to create a circular shape. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake in the oven to for approximately 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool for ten minutes before slicing.

Leek, Potato + Pancetta

Warm the butter and olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks into the pan in one single layer withe the garlic, scatter over the thyme and season well with salt and pepper. Allow the leeks to cook gently for 10-12 minutes until soft, moving the leeks around every now and again to ensure they aren’t burning. You want them to braise and caramelise just ever so slightly.

Spread the creme fraiche on the base of the pastry and top with the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Now layer the potatoes with the leeks on top and tuck in the slices of pancetta. Once the tart is cooked, scatter with the chopped chives.

Tomato + Oregano

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and season well with salt. Tumble onto the pastry. Serve the tart with extra oregano.

Silverbeet + Feta

Warm the olive oil in a pan over a low-medium heat. Gently cook the onions and garlic with a pinch of sea salt for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until soft. Transfer to a medium bowl and set the empty pan back on the heat. Increase the heat to medium. Wash the silverbeet leaves really well but don’t dry them completely.

Add the still-damp leaves to the pan and cover with a lid. Allow the silverbeet to wilt. This should take around 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool then squeeze out any excess liquid. Roughly chop the leaves and add to the onions, along with the feta. Spoon onto the pastry then top with the pine nuts.

What else I’m cooking with:

Right now, it’s my favourite time of the year. All of the beautiful late summer produce – heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and stone fruit intersect with early autumn things like figs and apples.