You didn’t think I’d leave you without a Thanksgiving recipe, did you? I’m going to be running around from my mother-in law’s house to my parents and I need the most portable thing to bring with me. The consequence of cultivating a food blog is that when it comes to gatherings, no matter how far away, you’re expected to bring something superb. I’ve decided my most portable recipe is this rustic loaf and I have two currently rising in my fridge (but see my procrastinators notes on that recipe). They travel better than a pie.
Lately though, I’ve been salivating over versions of this gallette that I’ve seen hanging around the internets, like here, and here and here, with a nod to Food52’s sketch of a savory gallette, which I’ve had bookmarked for a year. This gorgeous, herb-infused treasure reminds me of a savory tarte tatin. A galette is basically pizza’s more rustic, less fussy cousin with butter. It’s perfect for someone who doesn’t have the forethought to make above-mentioned rustic loaves (usually me), but wants a crusty, savory, doughy treat anyway, with all the charm and none of the waiting. Curated imperfection is the name of the game here making it nearly impossible to mess this up. Flaws are endearing. They add character. And every part of it can be done in advance.
I have been in court all week this past week, which is actually surprisingly rare for a litigator at a big firm. I have to say, I can get behind this whole government schedule, with perks such as: no work on Federal holidays, a full lunch HOUR, like a real HOUR, sometimes more, and since the courts in New York are all near Chinatown and Little Italy, really good food nearby! And out by 5pm, no matter what. WHAT!? Despite usually having to work a little longer, this is the government-set framework for my schedule and I am all about it. That and all the new coffee spots. And saying “withdrawn” after a sentence then starting over as if you never said anything at all.
Little by little I built this gallette into my new schedule, using my favorite squash, delicata, for its ease and flavor. Bake the squash one night as the onions slowly caramelize over a low flame. Make the dough another night before bed. Wilt the greens another time (if adding, because without the wilting, the water will mess with the baking ratios). Anything goes here really. When you’re ready, just throw the components together, gently fold and bake. While the squash takes the main stage the key to flavor is in the details. Rich, balsamic vinegar teases out the taste of the sweet, jammy onions. Sage and rosemary imbued with the enduring flavors of the season are woven into the dough and sprinkled over the nutty, smooth squash filling.
This is slow food done slowly, a pause in juggling the flaming hoops and all of life’s beautiful distractions that compete so fiercely for our attention. It’s the meditative nature of slow cooking that keeps you grounded, insisting on the time it takes for quality, but not so much that you feel compromised. Happy Thanksgiving. Slow down and enjoy.
SAVORY DELICATA SQUASH GALLETTE
INGREDIENTS:
For The Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups (about 156g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1/4 cup ice water (plus 1 or 2 tbsp more, depending)
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
For The Filling:
- 1/2 lb delicata squash (about one medium one) sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp chopped sage
- 1/2 tsp chopped roesemary
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 tbsp goat cheese
DIRECTIONS:
For The Crust:
Remove the butter from the freezer and let it thaw briefly while you prepare the dry ingredients.Whisk together the flour, salt, sage and rosemary. Using the coarsest holes on a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour, then mix gently with your fingers to incorporate it into the flour until no big clumps remain. Sprinkle three tablespoons of the ice water evenly over the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. When the mixture holds together when squeezed, it has enough moisture — if it won’t hold, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it does. Knead gently a few times to gather it into a dough, then wrap it into a disk in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour and up to a day ahead. For longer than a day in advance, freeze the dough.
For The Squash:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and scrub the squash, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice sideways into 1/4-inch thick slices. You can keep the skin on. Toss pieces with olive oil and about half the salt, then place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
For The Onions:
While the squash is roasting, melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Lay the onion slices in a single layer (they can overlap slightly), then cook over low heat, stirring once every 10 minutes or so, until soft, brown, and jammy. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the minced garlic, sage, and balsamic vinegar (if using). Let cool briefly.
Assemble:
Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roll the galette dough out to a 12-inch circle between two pieces of parchment paper. Peel off the top piece of parchment paper, then line the galette with squash slices, caramelized onions, and goat cheese, leaving a 1 to 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the edges over the filling, pleating as desired. If you like, brush a bit of beaten egg or heavy cream over the crust for a more golden crust.*
Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool briefly.
*Note: You can also add wilted greens to the assembly stage or turkey sausage like I did. I sauteed them both first and just added them to the mix.
That’s a great idea, taking something self contained. It sounds like you’ve had a lovely week of lunches – I recommend reading The Theory and Practice of Lunching by Keith Waterhouse – it’s quite funny.
I’m off to Barcelona tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I don’t anticipate eating turkey, but I do expect extreme lunching every day!
Wishing you happy holidays 😉
Enjoy, MD! Eat well. Thanks for the recommendation. Lunching is a practice, though women of nyc seen fyi respect the brunch more, but see bourdaines notes on brunch in Kitchen Confidential. Happy thanksgiving to you!
Ha ha – “Brunch menus are an open invitation to the cost-conscious chef, a dumping ground for the odd bits left over from Friday and Saturday nights.” His comments on fish have always stuck in my mind 😉
There it is 🙂 me too re: fish. So funny!
What a great idea! Galettes are so tasty and this one looks very special. I bet this will be a big hit at your family gatherings.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Thank you, Jovina. It really was decadent. Happy thanksgiving to you and yours. I’m grateful to talk to you here every week 🙂
Excellent Amanda, I love this!
Thanks, Dana! Happy thanksgiving!!!!!
Good lord, have you been in trial? If so, I don’t believe for a minute that those days are as short as the court part of it may be. The galette looks grand. Hope you have a lovely holiday.
Thanks, Michelle. You got it. I’m in love with the government hours even if they’re not mine completely. Thus building the delicious galette bit by bit. I should be done by next Thursday. We get thanksgiving and Friday off, which is good. Great to hear from you as always. Be well and have a happy happy thanksgiving. Im so grateful for your friendship here and I’m woefully behind on yours (and everyone’s blogs). Xo
Hah, I know how you feel about those government hours, I really loved them during my last job (I finished later, but had a TWO hour break for lunch)! This galette sounds lovely, I love veggie pies and tarts, and love the caramelized onions and tangy goat cheese you added here. I am travelling to Paris tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, and there is bound to be something with butternut squash on the table, as well as my mom’s pumpkin pie! There is so much that we need to be thankful these days. I hope you are well. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones!
Thank you, Darya. That schedule sounds perfect. Have safe travels in Paris and have a wonderful thanksgiving. Enjoy that pumpkin pie. Xo
This looks absolutely appetizing and so beautifully photographed too, Amanda. Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Thank you, Linda. Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Great dish and I just so happen to have 2 delicata squash waiting for a purpose. 🙂
Ohh nice! You will love this. They really are a great squash. Thanks for stopping by!
What a beautifully-looking squash!!! I love gallettes, but never tried to add a squash. The squash itself was sweet or not?
And Happy belated Thanksgiving Day, Amanda! Hope it was the happy and cheerful one! 🙂
Thank you! Thanksgiving was great. This squash is sweeter, but not as sweet as butternut so it is perfect here. Hope all is well with you. Great to see you. Xo
Absolutely love this savory gallette and your lovely post! I can relate with you on the ‘we are expected to bring something really good since we r bloggers!” LOL! Hope you had a great thanksgiving!
Thank you so much. I made bread, which I think was so good but compared to all the other delicious food it got lost in the mix. Next time I need to cook there and make somethingng like this galette. I hope you enjoyed thanksgiving as well. 🙂
What you describe here is not only a delicately composed recipe, but also my own way of cooking step by step. Many things I cook are prepared exactly as you did with the galette; you call it slow cooking. It´s also the attempt to get something complex done without having the time to stick to it in one go. How cool you are well organized enough to do so with a time consuming job like yours. I can imagine working at a law firm includes a very busy schedule. Hope you´ve found the time for family at thanksgiving, I´m sometimes a bit envious we Germans/”newly French” don´t really celebrate that tradition.
Many many greetings, Amanda. Sabine.
Thank you, Sabine for your thoughtful comment. Slow cooking is a euphemism here for “I don’t have time to do it all at once,” or just to do it all period. I did make the family rounds for Thanksgiving and it was nice. Now im going to try to make some quiet time. Im planning on making a version of your gnocchi this week! Im a novice so we’ll see how it goes. Enjoy your week!
Don´t be surprised, the dough seems a bit sticky. But with well floured hands, surface, knife etc, it´s good to handle and leaves you with softer gnocchi as opposed to using more flour in the dough. Hope you´ll like the recipe!
Michelle’s thoughts were mine too – are you in trial?! Did it end yesterday?! Oh my goodness. You are beyond incredible for producing this gorgeous galette and two loaves of bread all while going to court, and sounding so calm and composed, too — just whoa. (Also, saying withdrawn and starting over like you never said anything at all made me laugh!) My endless admiration for this beautiful galette and your legal badass-ery. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving amidst it all!
Cynthia, thank you for your awesome comment! I admire your blog so much. Your time management skills inspire mine! Sometimes I think, “I just cannot this week” and a lovely post of yours comes out and I’m like, “of course I can!” The case settled the day before Thanksgiving so I was able to visit my family. I do love downtown though. Oddly, bread, even if it’s incredible takes a back seat to all the other wonderful food my mom and mother-in-law cooked. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving too!
I love how you take the time to make slow food, even if your schedule is hectic. I always try to too. I can’t bare it when people say they don’t have the time to cook – when they spend hours each day watching TV… What a beautiful galette and Ive have to try making a proper galette crust with herbs like yours. Wow it must smell delicious!
Your gallette looks so good. I bet everyone enjoyed it, I know I would.
Thanks, Karen. It really was delicious 🙂