Edible Expert - Great Galettes
Photo by John Valls
GREAT GALETTES
Piper Davis
For Summer 2008
If the world were divided into two taste teams — sweet and savory — I’d play for the savory side. I’ll take fried trout over blueberry pancakes for breakfast any day. Of course, there’s a certain irony in that: My family has been in the baking business for 35 years and my livelihood depends on bread and pastry, something most people associate with double-crust pies and Danishes, cream puffs and chocolate croissants. Sweets. The other team. But even though flaky pastry — mostly the sweet kind — is my livelihood, I’ve always insisted that Grand Central Bakery’s cafés offer several savory pastry options. A savory galette is my favorite.
Think of a galette as pie’s rustic kissing cousin, a simple free-form tart that showcases the season’s bounty in a flaky crust. I like to begin the same way we do at the bakery, with a base of caramelized onions, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and enriched with an egg and some cream; it’s the perfect platform for seasonal toppings throughout the year. Between a CSA share, trips to the farmers’ market, and my garden (mostly tomatoes and basil), my kitchen is bursting with ingredients perfect for filling a savory galette.
Summertime produce in Oregon is a proverbial embarrassment of riches, inspiring galettes filled with everything from late-season asparagus to roasted corn, chiles and cotija cheese. Bakery favorites include zucchini with feta, and roasted eggplant-tomato. At home, I usually end up making my take on the classic pizza Margherita, which combines thinly sliced ripe tomatoes, basil, and Parmesan cheese. As summer turns to fall, new fillings step in: wild mushrooms with sherry and thyme; roasted squash and bacon; or thinly sliced potatoes and chèvre with herbs. Garlic mashed potatoes on an onion base might get my vote for the most irresistible, especially in the winter.
The point is that a galette should be improvisational. If you start with delicious all-butter pastry and use what you have on hand or what looks good at the market, it’s hard to go wrong. Use your intuition and don’t worry too much about a recipe. If you keep the following guidelines in mind, you’ll be fine.
Don’t give the filling more attention than the pastry. Less is more; we try to stick with combinations of three ingredients at the bakery. Like a good pie (or pizza), a successful galette starts with perfect pastry that is crowned with a balance of complementary flavors and textures. If you overfill the galette, not only will it be soggy, the focus will shift away from the belle of the ball, the buttery, flaky crust.
If turning the oven on in the heat of July strikes you as an act of insanity, get up a bit early to bake your galette. During the summers in Goldendale, Washington, where I grew up, my mom would awaken early in the morning to bake a quiche that we’d have for dinner, cold, when it was scorching hot outside. Since the fillings (and dough) can be made in advance, all that’s left is to assemble and bake the galette while you sip your morning coffee.
Not just for dinner, galettes are good left over for breakfast, warm or at room temperature; as an appetizer or for brunch; equally appropriate for a picnic or company. For a more substantial meal, start with a soup like chilled corn with basil oil or a summer gazpacho, also easily made ahead of time. While your galette is in the oven, put a simple green salad together, make a vinaigrette (I like mine on the slightly oily side: 2-1/2 to 3 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice or wine vinegar) and set the table. Voilà, dinner. Or breakfast.
Piper Davis is the cuisine manager for Grand Central’s family of neighborhood bakeries. Jokingly referred to as the “Minister of Deliciousness,” Piper is the driving force behind Grand Central Bakery’s commitment to providing tasty food made from seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
