Luscious heirloom tomatoes are layered with ricotta, parmesan, and fresh herbs in this stunning (but so simple!) Tomato Galette. Does summer taste any better than this? I think not.
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Riddle me this batman – what do you get when you combine thick slices of sweet heirloom tomatoes, salty cheese, and garden-fresh herbs into a flaky, savory crust?
I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.
Every home chef should have a go-to galette recipe up their sleeve or down their apron. They’re elegant and delectable, yet so insanely easy to make. They’re also super flexible, and perfectly suited for every occasion from weeknight dinners to brunch or a dinner party.
This savory heirloom tomato galette is my summer go-to, and the reasons should be obvious. Other than pizza (because let’s face it, caprese pizza always wins), it’s the very best way to enjoy oven-baked tomatoes at their peak.
What is a Galette?
A galette is a freeform pie or tart, or as I like to call it “the lazy lady’s pie”. A galette can be sweet or savory, and you can stuff it with just about anything – ripe stone fruits or blueberries for dessert, or tomatoes or winter squash for a savory main course.
Even though it sounds fancy (and looks fancy too!), making a galette is an incredibly easy and forgiving process. The base of a galette is made with either a pie crust or puff pastry. You then pile your toppings into the center of the unbaked crust, crimp up the edges to keep the filling contained, and bake.
How to Make a Savory Galette Crust
A galette crust is essentially a pie crust. For this savory tomato galette, I substitute a portion of the flour for cornmeal. The cornmeal makes for a slightly sweeter crust with a crumbly texture – the perfect complement to sweet heirloom tomatoes. You can make this recipe using a food processor, but if you’d rather not wash another appliance, use the next best tool – your (clean) hands!
Step 1: Combine the flour, cornmeal and salt in a large mixing bowl, then whisk until combined.
Step 2: Add the slices of cold, unsalted butter to the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it’s coarse and the butter has been reduced to pea-sized bits. If using your hands, work quickly to avoid melting the butter with your body heat.
Step 4: Add the egg yolk and 4 tablespoons of ice water to the bowl.
Step 5 (below): Form the dough into a ball, pressing until it just comes together. Add more ice water if needed to form a dough that holds it’s shape and is slightly sticky/tacky.
Wrap the galette crust in saran wrap, then place into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. You can make this up to 2 days ahead and keep chilled in the fridge, or double the recipe and place half into the freezer to use in the future.
Note: If you prefer to use a food processor, see this recipe for that method. Just be sure to follow the ingredients in the recipe card in this post below for a savory crust.
How to Make a Tomato Galette
Just a few simple ingredients – heirloom tomatoes, ricotta and parmesan cheeses, and fresh herbs – are pure culinary magic in this simple galette recipe. The result is substantial enough for a meal along with a tossed green salad.
Fresh and juicy heirloom tomatoes are simply irresistible, but their juiciness can be a problem in a tart or galette. They release their water content as they bake, which inevitably creates a soggy crust. Not a delicious outcome.
Luckily there’s a simple solution, and that’s to dry out the tomatoes, just a bit, before you assemble the galette. To do so, spread the tomato slices onto a cutting board and sprinkle them with salt. Allow the tomatoes to sit for about 15 minutes. As you can see in the photo on the right, the tomatoes will weep out quite a bit of liquid! Pat the slices dry using paper towels, and you’re all set.
Roll out the chilled dough into a (roughly) 12″ circle on a sheet of parchment paper. Then pick up the entire piece of parchment paper and transfer it onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the dough, leaving a 1-2″ border. Dot the parmesan layer with ricotta cheese and fresh thyme leaves. Layer the tomatoes over the cheese and herbs.
Fold up the crust around the tomatoes to create a pie-like shape. The less perfect the better! Then sprinkle the tomatoes with more fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
Brush the crust with the reserved egg whites, then transfer to a 400°F oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes look dry.
Behold this summer perfection! Allow the galette to sit for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle with fresh basil, slice, and serve. This tomato galette can be enjoyed warm or room temperature.
Tips for Making This Recipe Perfectly
- Use ice-cold water and very cold butter for the most tender and flaky crust possible. Place your sliced butter into the freezer for 5 minutes before adding to the dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. The butter will warm up while you’re making the dough, so you’ll want to re-chill it to achieve that flaky crust.
- Salt the tomatoes to release some of their liquid, then pat dry. This will prevent the the juices from running and turning the dough soggy.
- Allow the galette to sit for 10 minutes after baking to allow the remaining juices from the tomato and ricotta to settle.
- Serve this galette either warm or room temperature.
- Make the dough in advance and chill for up to 2 days.
- Or make the dough in advance and freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap a single recipe portion in plastic wrap, then into foil. Then place into a freezer bag and seal. I like to double or quadruple my crust recipe and then stash the extras in the freezer for weeknight dinners. To defrost, place the dough in the fridge overnight.
More Ways to Use Fresh Summer Tomatoes
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Caprese Chicken
- Fresh Tomato Marinara
- Stone Fruit Salad with Tomato and Burrata
- Crispy Chicken Thighs with Burst Tomatoes
Did you make this Heirloom Tomato Galette? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
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Recipe
Heirloom Tomato Galette with Ricotta and Parmesan
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin RecipeRecommended Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Rolling Pin
- whisk
Ingredients
Savory Galette Crust
- 1 c all purpose flour
- ½ c cornmeal
- ½ tsp sea or kosher salt
- 1 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and re-chilled
- 1 large egg, separated
- 4-6 tbbsp ice water
Filling
- ½ c grated parmesan
- ½ c ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ lb heirloom tomatoes, sliced to ¼″
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
Instructions
- Make the crust. Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add the butter, then crumble into the flours with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture is coarse and the butter pieces are no larger than peas.
- Separate the egg and set aside the whites to use later. Add the egg yolk and 4 tbsp ice water to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to work the dough until it just comes together and isn’t crumbly, adding more water if needed. The finished dough should be slightly tacky. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 400°F.
- Prep the tomatoes. While the oven heats, prepare the tomatoes. Lay the tomato slices onto a cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Rest for 10-15 minutes, or until the tomatoes weep a portion of their water content. Pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels.
- Form the galette. Roll out the chilled dough on floured parchment paper to a scant ½″ thickness into a roughly 12″ circle. Transfer the dough using the parchment paper to a baking sheet.
- Scatter parmesan across the dough, leaving a 1-2″ border, then dot with the ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the cheeses with half the fresh thyme.
- Layer the tomatoes on top of the cheeses. Sprinkle the remaining thyme, cracked black pepper, and additional salt on top of the tomatoes. Fold up crust around the filling, crimping the edges together, into a pie shape. Whisk the egg whites until smooth, then brush the crust with the whites.
- Bake the galette. Bake 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes and then slice and serve. Enjoy warm or room temperature. Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Kym
Do you have any recommendations to successfully make this crust gluten free? Beautiful recipe! Cant wait to try it!
Sally S.
Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pie Crust, a seasonal item in the freezer case, but they are perfect, saves the time (and effort) of making crust from scratch with gluten free flour!
Lauren
I love tomato pie/tart/galette season! I made this recipe twice last year with great results, so I’ll be following this recipe again tonight.
Danielle
I’m so glad to hear that, thank you Lauren!
Brenda
The crust is incredible! Overall the gallete was delicious, reminiscent of Chicago deep dish pizza.