Zucchini and Gruyère Galettes (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 medium zucchini – 1 yellow, 1 green (sliced 1/2 inch thickness)
1 cup grated Gruyère
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
few sprigs of fresh thyme, to top
For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of butter, cubed
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice-cold water
1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
Instructions:
1. Slice zucchini with a mandolin and place flat on a tray with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt to help draw out the moisture. Allow at least 20-30 minutes for this process ahead of time, so you won’t end up with soggy pastry.
2. Make the dough. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, break up butter in a large mixing bowl, leaving some big chunks and mix with flour and salt. Add ice-cold water to flour mixture and mix until it just comes together. You don’t want to overwork your dough or it will become very dense, not having the flaky delicate quality you want.
3. Once your dough ball comes together, split into two and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten them slightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Flour your work surface and place unwrapped dough on the table and using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3-5mm. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just be careful you don’t roll it too thin, otherwise, you’ll risk getting a hole in the process, forcing you to start over again, and overwork the dough.
Only work with one dough round at a time, that way it doesn’t get too warm. Ideally, you want the dough to stay as cold as possible, to ensure the bake of your product is the best it can be.
5. Once your dough is rolled out to the desired thickness, sprinkle the Gruyère over the dough. Remember to leave yourself about 1 – 1.5 inches from the edge for folding.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the Gruyère, and start arranging your zucchini slices in a neat circular pattern. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top, and a dash of pepper to taste. Now you can start folding the edges to where your ingredients start, folding all the edges in. Repeat the process for the second galette. Place them in the fridge for about 10 minutes while your oven heats up.
7. Preheat oven to 400 F.
8. With a pastry brush, brush sides of the galettes with egg yolk to give the dough a golden color while baking.
9. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes (this will depend on your oven and its temperature) and remember to rotate your tray halfway through cooking. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
