I have wanted to make a galette for quite a while now. Flaky, buttery pastry crust filled with anything from sweet berries to savory cheese and veggies? Sign me up. As summer begins to wind down, I find there’s still plenty of zucchini left to enjoy. This was the inspiration behind this Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Thyme Goat Cheese Galette. Tender, mild, summer zucchini atop soft and sweet onions and herbed goat cheese, all wrapped up in the flakiest, most tender crust. This recipe captures summer flavor while feeling cozy and comforting. It takes a little while to prepare this galette, but I promise it’s worth it. Plus, it can be customized with whatever veggies or herbs you happen to have on hand. If you’re looking for an eye-catching appetizer, a luxurious lunch, or just a comforting dinner of savory pie, this recipe is for you.
Galettes are so beautiful. Freeform pies, filled with either sweet or savory filling, then simply baked and sliced, galettes have a rusticness yet refinement that make them perfect for any gathering. A galette would perfectly complement an afternoon tea, picnic, or dinner party with ease. Pretty yet imperfect, formal but not fussy – galettes are wonderful. I chose to go with a savory filling for this one to use some summer zucchini, but the overall flavor profile is timeless. Creamy cheese with savory herbs and sweet onions are the perfect base for the mild zucchini.
I chose to cut my zucchini into circles so I could arrange them in a pretty swirled pattern on the top, but long slices or diced pieces would also work here. The key step is partially cooking/drying them in the oven prior to layering them on the galette. Zucchinis hold so much moisture, I didn’t want them to make the galette mushy or risk overbaking the crust to soften the zucchini. This simple step helps the zucchini cook perfectly along with the crust.
The other key step in preparing the galette filling is caramelizing the onions. The thinner you can slice your onions, the more quickly and evenly they will caramelize. It is important not to rush when caramelizing onions. If you burn or scorch them, they will turn bitter instead of into a smooth, soft, sweet jam-like consistency. Cook them over medium or medium low heat so they can slowly brown and soften.
Preparing and rolling the pastry dough may seem intimidating, but with a little preparation, anyone can conquer it. The butter should be cold when preparing the dough so that you can use your hands to flatten it without it melting. The goal of working the butter into the flour with your hands is to create long, thin, ribbons of butter that help the dough rise and become flaky. Don’t worry about making the dough 100% perfect. A small piece of butter here or a few crackly edges there won’t hurt – they only add to the whimsical rusticness of the crust.
When assembling the galette, I like to sprinkle a little semolina flour on the dough before adding the goat cheese layer. This helps to keep the bottom layer of crust crispy and separates it slightly from the soft cheese. Be gentle when spreading the goat cheese so as not to tear the bottom layer of dough.
Also, be sure to give that crust some love before it goes in the oven – after all, a good crust is half the appeal of a galette! Brushing it with an egg wash will help it develop a golden hue without burning, plus it will help the final sprinkle of salt and pepper stick. The crust should be just as flavorful and delicious as the filling!
You can see in the picture above that the zucchini circles are a little dry and partially cooked as they are layered onto the galette. You can also see that imperfect crust edges are perfectly fine!
When you slice into this galette, the sweet onions string and pull almost like cheese, adding a soft, jammy layer that is essential to the dish.
The most fun part of making a galette is assembling it. I find it best to layer the filling as goat cheese, then onions, then finally zucchini. Top it all off with an extra drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme to keep the filling moist and flavorful at every layer.
I baked my galette on a pizza stone to evenly heat and crisp the crust, but you can make this on a typical baking sheet as well. If the crust seems a little soft, bake for 5-10 more minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning or overcooking the filling.
Because the crust is so light and flaky, this galette is best eaten with a fork. The experience of cutting into each layer, from the buttery crust, to the soft cheese, to the creamy onions, fresh out of the oven, is heavenly. It’s unlikely that you have many leftovers, but if you do, they should be reheated in the oven to keep the crust from getting soggy!
I hope you love this Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Thyme Goat Cheese Galette as much as I do! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought or feel free to ask a question! I’d also love to see what you made! Tag me in your food pics @fortheperfectbite or use #fortheperfectbite on Instagram.
Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Thyme Goat Cheese Galette
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet onions
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3-4 small zucchinis
- 8 oz. goat cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 tbsp half and half (or whole milk)
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp semolina flour
- 1 egg
Pastry Dough
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks salted butter chilled
Instructions
Pastry Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt with a fork.
- Cut the chilled butter into 2-inch chunks and sprinkle them into the flour mixture. Using clean hands, press the butter into the flour. Use firm, sweeping motions with your palm to flatten and fold the butter into the flour, creating sheets or layers of butter.
- When the butter has been mostly flattened and worked into the flour, drizzle 3 tablespoons of cold water onto the mixture. Continue to fold the layers over each other until the dough forms a loose ball. If it won't come together, drizzle one more tablespoon of water over the dough and continue folding.
- When the dough is mostly combined with a few rough edges (no need to get it perfectly smooth and combined), fold into a square, wrap with plastic wrap, and allow to rest in the refrigerator, at least 30 minutes.
Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Thyme Goat Cheese Galette
- Make the pastry dough and allow to chill while the rest of the ingredients are prepared.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, using the convection setting if you have one.
- Thinly slice or dice the sweet onions. Melt 2 tablespoons salted butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onions to the pan.
- Slowly cook the onions, stirring often, until they soften and begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to let the onions scorch or burn – caramelizing onions is a slow process. Lower the heat or add a little water or oil to the pan if you find the onions are beginning to burn or stick.
- Continue cooking and stirring the onions over the next 30-45 minutes, until a golden brown color is reached and the onions are completely soft.
- While the onions cook, prepare the zucchini. Using a knife or mandoline, slice the zucchinis into ¼ inch thick circles. Lightly salt the circles, then place them into a baking dish. Bake the zucchini slices at 300°F for 20-30 minutes until partially cooked. This step will reduce the amount of moisture added to the galette from the zucchinis.
- Prepare the Thyme Goat Cheese: Using a spatula, beat together the goat cheese, half and half, thyme leaves, ½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper until a smooth mixture is formed.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Assemble the galette: Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper, then sprinkling ½ tablespoon semolina flour onto the parchment paper. Lightly dust a clean counter with flour. Roll out the pastry dough with a floured rolling pin into a circle, about 14 inches in diameter. The dough should be about ⅛ inch thick evenly across the circle. If the dough deeply cracks outward toward the edges, lightly pull, overlap, and pinch the cracks back together. Some small (1-2 inch) cracks toward the edges are fine.
- When you are finished rolling, transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. I like to do this by gently folding the dough circle in half, then in half again, taking care not to crack or break the dough. Then lift the folded dough onto the baking sheet and unfold back into the original circle.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ tablespoon of semolina flour over the surface of the pastry dough. Spread the goat cheese mixture onto the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border of dough around the edges. Layer the caramelized onions over the goat cheese in an even layer, then arrange the zucchini circles in an even layer over the onions.
- When you have finished covering the onion layer with zucchini circles, sprinkle the zucchini with salt and pepper and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- Gently fold the edges of the dough over the zucchini. Beat the egg, then brush the beaten egg over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with salt and pepper. Sprinkle additional thyme leaves over the zucchini, if desired.
- Bake the galette at 375°F for 50-55 minutes, until the crust is golden and flaky.
- Allow the galette to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with a fork.
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