Yields 6 servings (approximately!)
Confession: I envy some moms. I particularly envy those moms with 2+ kids, a home to keep, work (freelance or full-time) and/or school, and a blog that doesn’t miss a beat. Clearly, I’m not one of those moms…not yet anyway. I just can’t seem to get my sh*t together between the jet lag, the aforementioned morning sickness, fatigue, keeping up with Claire and the dozen projects I have going and then, oh yes, it’s dinner time again. I’m not fishing for excuses for neglecting you, I’m just telling you the truth.
But, the drought is coming to an end, albeit very slowly. FINALLY!
FINALLY! This post has been waiting. I’d talked a lot about this particular meal. My friend, L, must have heard how delicious and what a hit it was at least a dozen times. But, before I could finish it, I was hit with the ton of bricks known as morning sickness and well, you know the rest of that story.
FINALLY however, I feel well enough that thoughts of food are making me happy again. They are inspiring me and delighting me and I am very grateful for this turn of events.
So, I came back to this piece of deliciousness.
You know, when you’re thinking about something and then all of a sudden you see “signs” everywhere about it. Whether it’s about taking a trip, quitting your job, changing careers, getting that dramatic haircut, etc. This time it was the headline, “Galettes Are Awesome” on a newsletter from Bon Appetit. Yup, the galette has been calling my name for some time now. Specifically, the sourdough galette.
Ever since I embarked on my newest fermentation experiment, I can’t seem to find enough places to get that sourdough working. Pancakes, check. Crepes, check. Bread, well, that’s an on-going experiment, which is why I moved on to the galette. It’s not easy to get involved in tasks that have to go through days of rising, punching down, sitting warmly to let rise again, when you’ve got a toddler on the move. That sourdough has to work quickly, just like I do. The galette was the answer.
To be honest, I hadn’t made a galette since culinary school and I wonder why I haven’t. It was one of our exams and I enjoyed it immensely, plus the outcome was pretty tasty. In any case, rolling out the dough for this beauty brought back some fond memories and it also tugged at that ancestral cook within. Getting intimate with food will do that and it’s a feeling you’ll get addicted to. I highly recommend it!
I did a little searching for a galette recipe that would work and found this one from The Bojon Gourmet. You’ll see my adaptations below. For starters, my sourdough starter is made with rye flour, so I used rye as well as spelt flour for this one. I also omitted the sugar since I was going for the mushroom, kale, feta savory-ness. Finally, on top of the adaptations from both places, I cracked an over-easy egg on top of ours. It was impulsive, but it felt right.
And now the moment this galette’s been waiting for…
Sourdough Galette
You’ll need:
*1 cup flour (I used 1/2 C whole spelt and 1/2 C rye flour) + a little extra for rolling dough out later
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 stick (8T) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″-1/2″ cubes (keep it cold)
*about 1/2 cup (4 oz.) sourdough starter (mine was a bit thick, still pourable but not all liquidy)
*a few tablespoons of iced water, possibly
To make:
1. In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
2. Add the butter and with a pastry blender (or your fingers) crumble the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. There will be some larger chunks which is good.
3. Gradually add the starter tossing the mixture with your hands, until the dough barely holds together when squeezed. You may need to add more starter or a tablespoon of water, particularly if it’s on the thick side.
4. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in saran wrap, and press it into about a 6″ round. Chill for at least 1 hour, or up to a couple of days even. (Bojon Gourmet says that you can freeze for up to two months. Sounds good to me!)
Savory Fillings
You’ll need:
*2-3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided (optional, 1 T butter for mushrooms)
*2 shallots, sliced
*1 C shiitake mushrooms (recipe called for maitake and I would have used those because I love them, but can’t get them here), thinly sliced
*1 garlic clove, finely chopped
*1 bunch of kale (any kind you can get your hands on), stems removed and torn into bite-size pieces
*1 C ricotta or 2/3 C feta
*1/2 C fresh parsley
*Coarse sea salt or Himalayan Pink Salt, to taste
*Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 eggs, (if going the route I did)
To make:
*Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºF and take dough round out of fridge.
1. In a sauté pan, heat 1T of oil (or butter) and sauté shallots over medium heat until tender. Add shiitake mushrooms and a good pinch of salt. Let them cook together until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned. Remove and reserve.
2. Heat remaining oil and add garlic. Let cook for a minute before adding kale, one bunch at a time. Cook and let wilt. The color should remain a vibrant green. Toss in a pinch of salt here, too. Remove and reserve.
3. Roll dough round out onto a piece of parchment with flour sprinkled over it. Cover your rolling pin in flour, too. Roll out dough, flipping over occasionally, until it’s about 1/8″ thick. If yours ends up in a circle, it should be about 14″ wide. If you end up with an oblong shape, aim for about 12-14″ long and another 12″ wide. It’s meant to be a rustic dish so don’t worry about frayed edges.
4. Crumble some of (reserve about 1/4C) whichever cheese you are using into the center of galette. Make sure to leave about a 1-1 1/2″ border all the way around. Then evenly sprinkle mushroom and shallot mixture and follow with kale and garlic combo.
5. Here you get to play. Lift the edges of the border up and over the filling, overlapping and folding as you see fit. In the center your beautiful creation will be revealed.
6. Brush beaten egg over edges of galette.
7. Bake galette for about 30-40 minutes. Towards the end of baking time, you can get those eggs going. (I went for over-easy but poached would have been just as delightful!)
8. When galette is done, top with fresh parsley, remaining cheese and a delicious egg, and some pepper if you like it.
9. Enjoy!