Galette! …and the end of summer.

What’s a galette?  It’s essentially a flat pie, free form and housing loads of goodness.  This week I tackled two galettes, one sweet and one savory.  My choices were Tomato/Onion and Fig Frangipane.  I must say these two recipes are up there in my favorite end-of-summer recipes to use the last of the crops and prepare for fall.  I am especially deliberate these days in enjoying the sun.  My soul needed this summer.  The Kartes family tackled so many new things.  We played and hiked and ate and swam and worked our tails off at our day jobs and the jobs that drive us.  We finished a cookbook, we opened a publishing house — WHAT!!! — called Lavender Press (details forthcoming), and spent as much time as possible with our friends and family.  My mother got a clean diagnosis; she has been battling late stage breast cancer and that diagnosis makes this summer a win for me.  This summer was busy, but it was balanced.  We may have gone non-stop but some special stuff happened in our hearts, and we are full speed ahead for the rest of the year.  For some reason September feels like a new chapter.  I don’t think I have ever anticipated a season the way I am waiting for September.  Until then, make these beautiful flat pies and fill them with your heart’s desire.  Take a peak at South Sound/425 magazine in the August and September issue and grab some great tips from me on PIE.  I must admit, this pie thing, in every form, may be one of the love languages.

Butter Pastry (adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 cups flour

1 cup cold cold butter cubed

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1/2  tsp. salt

4-5 Tbsp. Water

In the bowl of your stand mixer or food processor, mix butter, flour, salt and sugar until it’s crumbly in texture, much like coarse cornmeal.  Slowly stream in the water until the dough just begins to come together.  Dump it all out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form it into a flat disc, wrap it up, and chill for 30 min.  

Once the dough is chilled, divide it into 2 equal parts and roll out each part to about 12 inches in diameter on a floured surface.  Transfer to your lined baking sheet, and begin to arrange your filling of choice.

Tomato/Onion

2 large Heirloom or Juicy tomatoes

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

fresh torn basil, a handful

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 egg beaten with a Tbsp. of water ( to brush edges, optional)

Arrange the tomato, onion and garlic in a circular pattern alternating your ingredients.  Sprinkle with basil and liberally season with salt and pepper.  Fold up the edges and pinch them to form the galette. Drizzle olive oil all over the tomato and onion.  Brush the edges with egg wash and a bit more salt and pepper.  Bake un-covered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle the parm on top and pop it back under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese.  You want the tomatoes to be bubbly and the onions soft.

Fig & Frangipane

1 pint sweet ripe figs, quartered

2 eggs

1/2 cup almond flour

2 Tbsp. milk

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt

Mix everything but the figs to bring your Frangipane together.  Pour into the center of pastry crust that is already rolled out and on lined baking sheet.  Add figs to the center of the Frangipane and fold the edges up around the fruit and filling. I reserved a bit of the almond filling to pour over and around the figs and crust.  Bake for about 45-60 minutes.  You want the figs to release their juices and bubble up with the filling.