Summer tomatoes have spoiled tomatoes the rest of the year for me. I use grape tomatoes all year round, but I save the real tomatoes—your slicers, your heirlooms—for when they are in season. I love letting them be the center of attention, on platters, soaking up dressings—maybe buttermilk, maybe something fish sauce based, with lots of herbs tumbling off.
Platters don’t travel well, but galettes, free-form pastry pies, do. If you think of it, what is a galette crust but an edible platter? I actually love making any kind of galette, sweet or savory, all year round. This galette, with summer tomatoes and ricotta in an herbed, buttery crust, can be eaten with one hand, making it pretty much a picnic essential.
Tomato and Ricotta Galette
A browned galette always impresses, and it is so easy to make! I’ve been getting my teen to prep this dough since she was nine. While you can make it with a pastry cutter, making it in the food processor takes 15 seconds.
Ingredients
FOR THE GALETTE DOUGH
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 heaping tablespoon basil cut into a chiffonade
- ⅓ cup ice water
FOR THE FILLING
- 2 large tomatoes, heirloom preferred, sliced into quarter-inch rounds
- 1 cup ricotta
- ½ cup Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Pinch kosher salt
- A bit of lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE DOUGH
- In a food processor, combine the flour with the salt, butter, and basil and process for about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry just begins to come together, about 10 seconds; you should still be able to see small pieces of butter in it. Transfer the pastry to a work surface, gather it together and pat into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate until chilled. When you’re ready to use, remove and let it warm up for about 10 minutes. If you’re in a pinch, roll out the pastry and use it right away, but chilled is better.
TO MAKE THE RICOTTA FILLING
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all ingredients, paying special attention to incorporate the egg fully into the cheeses.
TO MAKE THE GALETTE
- Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a circle, about 16 inches in diameter, and transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet.
- Spread the ricotta evenly starting from the center, leaving a 2-inch-wide outer ring of uncovered dough.
- Lay your sliced tomatoes on the ricotta, moving from the outer edges to the inside of the dough. Make sure the slices overlap and fully cover the ricotta. Fold the pastry edge up and over the ricotta and tomato to create a 2-inch border.
- Bake the tart for about 1 hour, until the pastry is nicely browned and crisp. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the tart cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
