Roasted Vegetable Gallette

This recipe represents something I've always wanted to do, but hadn't tried until now. For those not familiar, a Gallette is essentially a rustic or free-form pie and in this case, a savory one. I've always found the presentation to be very appealing while at the same time elegant. For dinner I thought I'd improvise a vegetarian Roasted Vegetable Gallette.

As this was my first attempt, I didn't have faith the vegetables would roast adequately while the crust was browning, so I knew I'd start by pre-roasting them. It would give the vegetables the best chance to concentrate their flavors while taking on the barest hint of additional color. This step, when prepared as a side dish, takes generally 40 minutes, so I started there. I'd need to cut the vegetables approximately the same size to cook evenly. This was also an opportunity to introduce some flavor to enhance the natural sweet meets savory veggies I had at my disposal. Nothing too fancy, I used a nice fruity Olive Oil along with Thyme and some Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper. While those were roasting, I turned my attention to the crust.

 

I initially thought to use a crust I knew wasn't brittle as I'd be working with it just a bit more than were I to be using a pie plate. As I don't yet have a crust recipe stored in my head I thought to search my archives for a recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I recently bought the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook which reinvented (again) a significant number of their recipes to be more healthful. They had a recipe for a crust that included 1/3 portion of it's flour in whole wheat. It was designed for a rustic apple pie, but the sweetness would be welcomed in my savory Gallette. As a pie crust needs to sit in the fridge for a bit, I prepared this next.

 

Finally, I worried about the Gallette feeling a bit plain and like a pile of veggies that are awkwardly sitting in crust. My mother had once prepared a stunning roasted vegetable quiche, but I feared such a loose base would spill out before it had a chance to set. Then I thought about a bechamel sauce. This would give me a chance to distribute more evenly the creamy elements I was going to include, namely Gruyere and Stilton cheese. As well, I had some mushrooms that I was not roasting that could get a head start in the sauce.

 

Now that I had my parts all assembled, it was time to cross my fingers and hope this prep was worth it!

 

Roasted Veggies:

• 1 Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Onion, large chop
• 3 Carrots, cut into 1/2 " coins or half moons
• 2 Red Potatoes, skins on, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 1 Turnip, cut into 1/2 " cubes
• 5 Cloves of Garlic, peeled (or you could peel after roasting)
• Your best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Thyme (on stem is fine)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Place all vegetables & garlic in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Toss to coat evenly. You only need to add enough olive oil to provide a sheen to the vegetables. Err on the side of less. Spread veggies on a foil lined half sheet pan or large jelly roll pan and place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

 

Crust:

• 2 T Light Sour Cream
• 2 - 4 T Ice Water, separated
• 8 T Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/4 " pieces and chilled
• 1 C (5 oz) All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 C (2 3/4 oz) Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 T Sugar
• 1/2 t Salt

Whisk together the sour cream with 2 T of the ice water and keep in fridge until needed.

 

In your food processor, pulse together the flours, sugar and salt until thoroughly distributed, about 4 times. Add the butter and pulse until butter is the size of small peas, about 9 times. Add in the sour cream mixture and pulse until dough starts to clump around the blade. Add more ice water if mixture doesn't clump after 3 pulses, 1 T at a time as needed. (I had to use one additional T before it clumped).

 

Dump onto plastic wrap and form into a disc. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 

Béchamel:

• 2 T Unsalted Butter  
• 2 ribs Celery, small dice 
• 1/4 lb Oyster Mushrooms (optional)  
• 1 1/2 t All Purpose Flour  
• 1/2 C Whole Milk (I eye-balled this, might be less) 
• Salt & Pepper  
• 1/4 C Gruyere, shaved  
• 1/8 C Stilton, crumbled

Melt the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. After the foaming subsides, add the celery and cook stirring occasionally until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the milk and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Taste, then season with Salt and Pepper if needed.

 

Assembly:

• Chopped parsley (I forgot to add this, but it would have been nice)  
• Balsamic Glaze

Drop the oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Toss Roasted veggies back in the same bowl you used to mix them originally. Add in the béchamel and parsley and toss to distribute.

 

Roll the pie dough onto a piece of parchment into the largest round you can muster at about 1/8 " thickness. At least 13 " in diameter, but bigger will make it even easier on you. Move the parchment and dough to the same sheet pan you used for the veggies (with the greasy foil removed).

 

You need to leave about 2 inches from the edge for folding over. Pile your veggies in the center of the dough maintaining a consistent distance from the edge. Start at one side and lift the exposed crust to lay on the veggies. Forming pleats as you go, continue to lift and fold the crust around the veggies. If making ahead, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge up to 3 days.

 

Drizzle the package with balsamic glaze and bake in oven until crust is brown and vegetables are thoroughly heated.

 

Variations:

 

Now that I've tried this I can imagine limitless variations.

 

The vegetables I selected were based on what I had available, including the oyster mushrooms that I happened to have. I think they worked. Cremini would have been nice too. But they lend a nice earthy taste that is off set by the richness of the Stilton.

 

The cheese can be altered to dramatically alter the flavor profile. For example, add in a smoked Gouda or an extra sharp cheddar in the place of the Stilton and Gruyere.

 

I'd like to make sure to use at least some hearty veggies that will hold their shape when roasted, but including something green would have been nice visually. Green Beans, Broccoli, Spinach (would be added to the béchamel), braised and drained Kale...

 

The beauty of this recipe is the ability to make ahead and it satisfies the vegetable and starch portion of the meal.

 

Enjoy!