As I have strolled through the farmer’s markets this year, I have been intrigued by the varieties and colors of heirloom tomatoes. If you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend it. The flavor and texture is quite different from hybrid varieties that you buy at the grocery store because of a few key differences. Heirloom tomatoes, which are also called heritage tomatoes, are passed down from generation to generation. The seeds are hand picked and then replanted each year, some for more than 50 years. Because of this process, the plants produce fewer tomatoes and are chosen based on color, shape, size and most importantly, taste! In my conversations with the farmers who grow these amazing tomatoes, it's obvious how much they love the process.

So let's talk about a galette. A galette is a term used in French cuisine for free-formed crust. In this case, it seemed fitting to create a galette for these beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Here, I have formed a galette dough from simple ingredients, lined it with pesto from a jar, used chunks of cheddar cheese (or you could use any cheese you love, such as mozzarella, Swiss or Gruyere) and topped it off with these delicious tomatoes. It will all work. Then top the “pie” with slices of the tomatoes and fold the dough up around the edges to form a galette. For added pizzazz, garnish the top with crispy bacon, or leave it off for a vegetarian dish. Either way, I guarantee it will be equally delicious. This pie is free-form and rustic, which is what I love about it. Not too fussy and absolutely wonderful. Its the perfect opportunity to get creative, so go for it! Mmmm, so good!

I hope you enjoy it, and please send me pictures or a note to let me know how it turned out for you.

Make good food with gratitude,

Becky

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Yield:

• 1 pie (4 servings)

Prep Time:

• 15 minutes (plus 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling the dough)

Cook Time:

• 40 minutes

Total Time:

• 1 hour and 25 minutes

Dough Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour

• 1 ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, cubed)

• 4 tablespoons ice water

Dough Directions:

In the bowl of your food processor, place the flour and salt. Pulse a few times to incorporate the salt with the flour. Now add the butter and pulse for about 5 seconds.

Next, sprinkle the ice water over the flour and butter mixture just until the dough starts to come together. You may not need to use all of the water. You should still be able to see some small pieces of butter in the pastry, however, you do not want the dough to be dry.

Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather it together to combine everything taking care not to overwork the dough. Divide the dough into two mounds and shape into two discs. Wrap individually with plastic wrap and place in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Filling Ingredients:

• 3-4 heirloom tomatoes (sliced into 1/2 inch slices)

• 3-4 tablespoons pesto

• 6 ounces cheddar cheese (or your cheese of choice, cut into 1 inch chunks)

• 2 slices of crisp bacon, chopped

• 1 egg (beaten, to finish dough)

Filling Directions:

Once chilled, remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and place onto a lightly floured surface. The second dough disk can be frozen or used to make another dish. See Tips and Tricks below for more ideas. With a rolling pin, roll out to the size you want. Remember, the edges will be folded up around the filling, so make sure to allow for that.

I rolled mine out on a sheet of parchment paper so I could easily transfer it to a baking sheet.

Then spread the dough with the pesto, sprinkle with the cheese, and artistically lay the tomato slices over the fillings. They can be overlapping if you so desire.

Fold the crust up about one inch or so and pinch as you go.

Brush the beaten egg over the outer edge of the crust.

Transfer the galette with the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for approximately 35-40 minutes until the crust is browned. Randomly sprinkle the chopped bacon pieces over the finished pie.

Let this cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Tips and Tricks:

Since you have another galette dough in the fridge, you may want to use it to make a second tomato pie using cheddar cheese and bacon. However, I have found that this dough makes a wonderful galette using fresh fruit as well. Peaches, apples, blueberries, or blackberries make a great filling. Just prepare the fruit, then toss with some cornstarch and sugar. When using apples, add a little cinnamon for the most amazing apple “pie”. Always brush the outside of the dough with the egg wash before baking. When making a sweet fruit pie, you may sprinkle course sugar over the egg wash for a spectacular looking finish.