Cherry Tomato Galette (Buttery, Flaky Crust!)

Cherry tomato galette on parchment paper with a slice cut out from overhead.

Cherry Tomato Galette (Buttery, Flaky Crust!)

A flaky, buttery Cherry Tomato Galette built on an all-butter crust. Garlic herb butter goes down on the pastry first, cornmeal scatters over it to catch the juices, and the tomatoes pack in tight before the edges pleat up around them. It bakes on a sheet pan until the crust is deep golden and the tomatoes have slumped and concentrated. A lemon-butter spooned over at the table and torn basil scattered on top wake it all up. Easier than pie, no pan required, and the best possible use for a counter covered in summer tomatoes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time50

Resting and chill time1 15

Total Time2 35

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices (or 6 as a main course)

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

Ingredients

Crust

2½ cups all-purpose flour 300g
1 teaspoon kosher salt 3g (use ½ teaspoon if using Morton's or table salt, see notes)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar 4g
1 cup salted butter 2 sticks Plugrà butter, cold, cut into tablespoon-size cubes
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water as needed
½ tablespoon cornmeal 5g, for the parchment
All-purpose flour and cornmeal for rolling to prevent sticking, as needed
1 large egg plus 1 tablespoon water beaten, for the egg wash

Garlic herb butter filling

4 tablespoons salted butter Plugrà butter, softened
3 cloves garlic grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano minced
1½ teaspoons lemon zest zest of ½ lemon
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Tomatoes

1½ pounds mixed cherry tomatoes halved
1 teaspoon kosher salt 3g, for draining
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to season after assembling
2 tablespoons cornmeal 20g, for the barrier layer

Lemon butter drizzle (to serve)

3 tablespoons salted butter Plugrà butter,melted
1½ teaspoons lemon zest zest of ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch red pepper flakes optional and to taste

To finish

¼ cup fresh basil torn
Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper to finish
1 tablespoon butter Plugrà butter, melted, for brushing the hot crust

Instructions

Make the dough

Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Add the cold butter and toss to coat in the flour. Working quickly, smash each cube flat between your fingers until you have a mix of pea-size pieces and flat, sheety ones. Those big flat pieces are where the flake comes from, so don't work them down to crumbs.
1 cup salted butter
Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, starting with 6 and tossing after each addition. Only add the final 2 tablespoons if the dough won't hold together when squeezed.
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Gather the dough, flatten it into a disk, wrap tightly, and chill for 30 minutes.

Make the garlic herb butter

While the dough chills, stir the softened butter together with the grated garlic, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes until evenly combined. Leave it somewhere cool but not cold so it stays spreadable.
4 tablespoons salted butter, 3 cloves garlic , 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Drain the tomatoes

Toss the halved tomatoes with salt and let them drain in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl for 15 minutes.
1½ pounds mixed cherry tomatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Blot the tomatoes dry, and be thorough about it. A damp paper towel run over the top isn't enough.

Assemble

Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment and scatter the ½ tablespoon of cornmeal over it. Set aside.
½ tablespoon cornmeal
Dust your work surface with a mix of flour and cornmeal and roll the chilled dough into a 13 to 14-inch round. To move it, roll the dough loosely up around your rolling pin, lift, and unroll it over the prepared parchment.
All-purpose flour and cornmeal
Spread the garlic herb butter over the center of the dough, leaving a clean 2-inch border all the way around.
Scatter the 2 tablespoons cornmeal evenly over the butter.
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Pack the tomatoes on top cut side up, tighter than looks right, since they shrink a lot as they bake. Keep the mound low enough that you can still make out the shape of the tomatoes on top rather than a heap.
Fold the border up and over the edge of the tomatoes, pleating as you go. Pleat tightly so nothing slumps over the edge of the pan in the oven.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash and season the tomatoes lightly with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
1 large egg plus 1 tablespoon water, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Chill the assembled galette on the sheet pan for 20 minutes. While it chills, preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third.

Bake

Bake on the lower rack for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan at the 30-minute mark. Start checking at 45. It's done when the crust is deep golden, the pleats are set, and the underside is golden brown but not dark.

Finish and serve

Brush the hot crust with the 1 tablespoon melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven. Slide the galette off the parchment onto a wire rack so the bottom doesn't steam. It will look wet on top, which is exactly right. It reabsorbs completely as it cools.
1 tablespoon butter
Rest for at least 25 minutes, so the tomatoes firm back up and the slices cut cleanly.
Stir together the melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Spoon it over the tomatoes just before serving.
3 tablespoons salted butter, 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, Pinch red pepper flakes
Scatter the torn basil on top and finish with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
¼ cup fresh basil, Flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Notes

Use a mix of tomato varieties: Different cherry tomatoes break down at different rates, so a mix gives you some halves that collapse into jam and others that hold their shape. We used Sungold, Cherry Falls, Chocolate Cherry, and Tropical Sunset from the garden. Skip large slicing tomatoes here. We tested them and they create tall spots where the tomatoes steam instead of roasting.
Tight, not tall: Pack the tomatoes shoulder to shoulder, since they shrink a lot, but keep the mound low enough that you can still make out the shape of the tomatoes on top rather than a heap. Anything deeper steams instead of roasting and the ones underneath come out raw.
It will look wet coming out of the oven. That's normal, and it's not a soggy crust. The liquid reabsorbs completely as the galette cools, and the pastry goes right back to flaky. Move it off the parchment onto a rack so the bottom doesn't steam, and give it the full 25 minutes.
Don't dump the drained tomato juice. You'll have close to a cup in the bowl. It makes a bright vinaigrette with olive oil and vinegar; it's good in a Bloody Mary or a pan sauce, and it freezes well.
Moving the rolled dough: A 14-inch round of butter-heavy dough is awkward to lift by hand and it stretches if you try. Roll it loosely up around your rolling pin like a scroll, hold the pin over the parchment, and unroll. If the dough feels soft or sticky when you get there, chill it for 10 minutes and try again once it's firm.
Make it ahead: The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling. The garlic herb butter can be made 3 days ahead as well. We don't recommend assembling the galette more than about an hour before baking, since the tomatoes will keep releasing liquid.
Storage: Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat slices on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes to bring the crust back. The microwave will make it soft.
Salted butter, on purpose: Butter turns up in four places in this recipe, and using salted throughout means you're not stopping to season at every one. The crust works the same either way, but if you're using unsalted, salt the garlic herb butter and the lemon butter to taste. That's where you'll notice it.
Salt: All salt amounts are Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you're using Morton's kosher or table salt, use half the listed volume.
Fresh herbs, not dried: We tested this with dried thyme and the herbs disappeared completely under an hour of wet tomatoes. If dried is what you have, use 1 teaspoon dried thyme and a scant ½ teaspoon dried oregano, but know they'll be quieter than the fresh version. The basil at the end has to be fresh either way.
Serve with: A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, or alongside anything off the grill. It's just as good at room temperature as it is warm, which makes it easy to carry to a porch dinner.

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