Cherry Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Galette with Spelt Pastry

, from Issue #58. January, 2016
Photography by Kelly Gibney.
Cherry Tomato and Goat’s Cheese Galette with Spelt Pastry

I love the rustic charm of a galette. Mine uses the nourishing flour combo of spelt and brown rice flour. Cherry tomatoes are the epitome of the summer season, bursting with sweetness. This is essential picnic food. I love it straight out of the oven, but it’s perhaps even better when cold and enjoyed outdoors.

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

Pastry
1¼ cups spelt flour
½ cup brown rice flour
pinch sea salt
100 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
1 free-range egg yolk
3-5 tablespoons cold water

Filling
2 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved (you need 400 grams)
50-80 grams chèvre or goat feta 
handful thyme leaves
olive oil for drizzling
sea salt
cracked black pepper

METHOD

Place the two flours and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like rough breadcrumbs.

Add the egg yolk and then the water one tablespoon at a time, stopping once the dough starts to come together as a ball.

Form the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap, leaving in the fridge for at least half an hour and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured piece of baking paper until about ½ cm thick and more or less round. Slide pastry (on baking paper) onto a baking sheet. 

Starting from the middle, place the halved cherry tomatoes in circles starting from the middle and working out. Make sure the tomatoes are snugly tiled, as they will shrink when roasted. Leave an 8cm border. 

Drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Crumble goat cheese over the top and scatter the thyme leaves. Fold the bordering pastry over the tomatoes gently. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden. Let the galette sit for 10 minutes before slicing.