A Life, Lived: Tomato, Corn & Cheese Galette with Fresh Basil

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round upis hosted this week by hosted by Gretchen from Canela & Comino this week. Be sure to click on through and see what the other weekend herb bloggers have been up to!

I have had a few requests for this recipe since I posted about it on Monday. I have also had an e-mail asking 'what the heck is a galette?'

This recipe was created by the uber-talented David Lebovitz in a piece for Fine Cooking Magazine entitled Free-Form Rustic Tart. In it he writes that a galette is 'much less formal than the classic heavily glazed, precisely fluted French fruit tart, these charming desserts consisted of a thin layer of fruit—often sliced and of a single variety—baked on top of a buttery, crisp crust. Instead of the straight, rigid sides you get from a tart pan, the edges of these tarts were just folded over onto the fruit.'

This galette is clearly not of the sweet variety at all - in fact it uses a special dough made with corn meal and olice oil - not at all what you want with thin slices of apple but perfect with these ingredients.

Easy to assemble with ingredients that are at their peak right now, this savoury tart was a hit. I shared some with my mother the next day and she has asked for the recipe on a number of occasions since then. In her mind it was one of the best things we have ever made - I don't know about that because we have made a lot of things over the years but it was quite good.

Tomato, Corn & Cheese Galette with Fresh Basil

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 bunch basil, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped, (to yield about 1/2 cup); plus 10 whole basil leaves
Kernels from 1 ear of corn (about 1 cup)
1 recipe Cornmeal Galette Dough
1 large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes (about 3/4 lb. total) cut into 1/3-inch slices, drained on paper towels
3 oz. Comté or Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp. milk or cream

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 min. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, chopped basil, and corn and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet, preferably one without sides, with kitchen parchment. (If your baking sheet has sides, flip it over and use the back.)

Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 15-inch round, lifting the dough with a metal spatula as you roll to make sure it's not sticking. If it is, dust the surface with more flour. Transfer it by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it on the lined baking sheet.

Spread the onion and corn mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border without filling. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer over the onions and season them with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the c heese over the tomatoes. Lift the edges of the dough and fold them inward over the filling, pleating as you go, to form a folded-over border. Pinch together any tears in the dough. Brush the egg yolk and milk mixture over the exposed crust.

Bake until the crust has browned and the cheese has melted, 35 to 45 min. Slide the galette off the parchment and onto a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 min. Stack the remaining 10 basil leaves and use a sharp knife to cut them into a chiffonade. Cut the galette into wedges, sprinkle with the basil, and serve.

Cornmeal Galette Dough

5 oz. (1-1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 oz. (1/3 cup) fine yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. sugar
1-1/4 tsp. salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 oz. (1/4 cup) ice water

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Cut in the chilled butter using a stand mixer, a food processor, or a pastry blender until it's evenly distributed but still in large, visible pieces. Add the olive oil and ice water and mix until the dough begins to come together. Gather the dough with your hands and shape it into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

From Fine Cooking 40, pp. 68-73

August 1, 2000

The round, often pointed leaves of the basil plant looks a lot like peppermint to which it is related. Its highly fragrant leaves are used as a seasoning herb for a variety of foods but has become ever popular as the main ingredient in pesto, the mixture of basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

Basil is a highly fragrant plant whose leaves are used as a seasoning herb for many different types of foods. Basil has become one of the most recognizable herbs ever since pesto, the mixture of basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese, has become popular.

Basil has round leaves that are oftentimes pointed. They are green in color, although some varieties feature hints of red or purple. Basil looks a little like peppermint, which is not surprising since they belong to the same plant family.

There are more than 60 varieties of basil, all of which differ somewhat in appearance and taste. While the taste of sweet basil is bright and pungent, other varieties also offer unique tastes: lemon basil, anise basil and cinnamon basil all have flavors that subtly reflect their name. The scientific name for basil is Ocimum basilicum.

Basil now grows in many regions throughout the world, but it was first native to India, Asia and Africa. It is prominently featured in varied cuisines throughout the world including Italian, Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian.

The name "basil" is derived from the old Greek word basilikohn, which means "royal," reflecting that ancient culture's attitudes towards an herb that they held to be very noble and sacred. The tradition of reverence of basil has continued in other cultures. In India, basil was cherished as an icon of hospitality, while in Italy, it was a symbol of love.

Whenever possible, choose fresh basil over the dried form of the herb since it is superior in flavor. The leaves of fresh basil should look vibrant and be deep green in color. They should be free from darks spots or yellowing.

Even through dried herbs and spices like basil are widely available in supermarkets, you may want to explore the local spice stores in your area. Oftentimes, these stores feature an expansive selection of dried herbs and spices that are of superior quality and freshness compared to those offered in regular markets. Just like with other dried herbs, when purchasing dried basil, try to select organically grown basil since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating basil may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C and carotenoid content.)

Fresh basil should be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel. It may also be frozen, either whole or chopped, in airtight containers. Alternatively, you can freeze the basil in ice cube trays covered with either water or stock that can be added when preparing soups or stews. Dried basil should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place where it will keep fresh for about six months.

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That looks great Jerry. We make fruit galettes all the time (they're especially good with peaches) but I've never made a savory one. Will have to try it.

Posted by: Laura | September 12, 2008 at 01:07 AM