Tomato and Leek Galette

We have reached the point in the summer where my plants have gone from “pleasant gardening hobby” to “overflowing with fruit”…and our supply of tomatoes is bursting at the seams. It’s a good problem to have; we enjoy sharing the abundance with friends, and it also forces me to get creative in some of the ways we use this garden gift. This tomato and leek galette lets us take advantage of multiple items from our backyard garden, and it is an easy recipe to make even on a busy weeknight.

What even is a galette? Think of it as a pie without a pan. The English term was originally borrowed from French, but its first recorded use in English was way back in 1775. This dish can be made with either a sweet or savory filling, and it’s a nice option if you don’t have a lot of fancy baking implements – all you need are the ingredients and a baking sheet. (I made a similar galette in my college dorm kitchen back in the day, and it felt downright gourmet compared to so many no-bake dorm recipes. Who knew that cooking in college could look so fancy?)

My favorite part of this recipe: you don’t need to make the crust. If you’re feeling ambitious, you are welcome to make a homemade short crust pastry dough like you would for a traditional pie. Personally, I like to keep things easy and use a store-bought pie crust. While the recipe below works best for two hungry people (or 3, if it’s not the only thing for dinner), it’s superbly simple to double this recipe and make enough to save for leftovers. Most recipes for pie dough, as well as most boxes of the pre-made stuff, come with enough dough to make a double crust pie – or two tomato and leek galettes.

If you’re looking for more recipes that utilize fresh garden vegetables, these mushroom-stuffed tomatoes or these stuffed peppers are excellent, lower-carb, gluten-free ways to enjoy the fruits of your (or your neighbor’s) labor.

Ingredients for our Galette

• An unbaked pie crust. Since the whole point of this recipe is for it to be an easy, weeknight dinner, I tend to use store-bought crusts. You only need a single layer of crust – most boxes contain enough to make a double-crust pie. You are welcome to make two gallettes at a time, if you feel so led!
• Tomatoes. The star of this dish! We grew yellow and red tomatoes this year. Ideally, use the freshest ones you can find, but even if you’re using canned tomatoes, you can still eke out a good bit of potassium and vitamin C from this dish.
• Leeks. A milder, sweeter cousin of the green onion, leeks are large and lend a vaguely nutty flavor to our galette. Feel free to substitute whatever onions you have on hand. I used two very small leeks from my garden – it ended up equaling roughly 1 cup of diced leeks.
• Cheese. I like to use a hard, aged cheese for this recipe, like gruyere or parmesan. It adds a wholesome, rustic flavor and it can withstand the prolonged period in the oven without becoming too “melty”. It also helps separate this dish from the “pizza” category – though if you would prefer mozzarella on your galette, you’re welcome to use it.
• Salt. In addition to adding some flavor, this will help remove excess moisture from the tomato slices. I like to use Trader Joe’s Truffle Salt, but whatever you have on hand is perfectly fine.
• Spices. When preparing our leek base, we will sauté them with minced garlic. I also like to layer my tomatoes with fresh basil.
• We will use avocado oil – or another neutral oil – to sauté the leeks. As this is a savory dish, olive oil would work fine.
• We will use an egg wash – one egg beaten together with a bit of water – to give our final tomato and leek galette a lovely, caramelized finish.

The Galette-Making Process

Slice your tomatoes and spread them out on a flat surface. Dust them with a generous pinch of salt. As mentioned above, I like to use a flavored salt (like truffle salt) to add just a hint of extra flavor, but even basic table salt will work well. This process will help to remove moisture from our tomato slices, preventing our galette from developing a soggy bottom. Allow these to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare your other ingredients.

While the tomatoes are resting, pour your avocado oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the diced leeks and sauté until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 additional minute before removing from heat.

Roll out your pie dough on a piece of parchment paper. Spread sautéed leeks in the center of the pie dough, leaving a roughly 1 inch margin along each edge. Top the leeks with half of your shredded cheese.

Layer the salted sliced tomatoes and fresh basil atop the cheese. Fold the edges of the dough over to create a crust, and to keep all components within the galette. In a small cup, beat together 1 egg with a tablespoon of water. Once completely combined, brush this mixture over the folded crust to make it nice and shiny.

Bake at 400 degrees F. After 30 minutes in the oven, sprinkle your galette with the remaining shredded cheese and rotate it to promote even baking. Bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, for a total baking time of 55-65 minutes. Let your tomato and leek galette cool briefly on the baking sheet before slicing and serving.

How did this tomato and leek galette turn out for you? Did you make any changes? What cheese did you decide to use? If you made it at home, feel free to tag @WhiskAverseBaking on any social media posts about it, or to leave a message in the comments below. If you haven’t made it at home yet – go ahead and hit that “Pin Recipe” button, so you know where to find it when you start to get hungry.

Tomato and Leek Galette

Savory and rustic, this recipe uses garden fresh ingredients to create an easy yet elevated weeknight dinner.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  

• Pie dough enough for one single-crust pie
• 3-4 to matoes sliced into ¼” slices
• 1-2 leeks diced
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon diced garlic
• ½ teaspoon sea salt I like Trader Joe’s truffle salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil diced
• 2-4 oz aged cheese shredded (gruyere or parmesan)

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

 

• After slicing the tomatoes, spread them out on a flat surface (baking sheet or plate) and dust with ½ teaspoon sea salt. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• While tomatoes are resting, pour avocado oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add diced leeks and saute until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.
• Roll out pie dough on a piece of parchment paper. Spread sauteed leeks in the center of the pie dough, allowing a roughly 1 inch margin along each edge. Top the leeks with half of your shredded cheese.
• Layer sliced tomatoes and fresh basil atop the cheese. Fold the edges of the dough over to create a crust, and to keep all components within the galette.
• In a small cup, beat together 1 egg with a tablespoon of water. Once completely combined, brush this mixture over the folded crust.
• Bake at 400 degrees F. After 30 minutes in the oven, rotate to promote even baking and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for an additional 25-35 minutes (total baking time 55-65 minutes). Let cool briefly on baking sheet before slicing and serving.

Keyword galette, leek, tomato, tomatoes