Caramelized onion goat cheese and zucchini galette

Another galette? Really, Kitchen Witch??

YES! A resounding YES is my answer to that question. If you haven't tried making a galette yet my only question is WHY NOT?!? They are easy, impressive and best of all, delicious!! Heck, the Kitchen Witch has become so obsessed with them that she now keeps a round of galette dough in the fridge ready to roll out: you never know when the galette jones is going to strike - who wants to wait 3 hours for deliciousness to be done? By keeping a round of pastry in the fridge I can have a galette on the table in 1 hour flat.

I've made and blogged about a few galettes now. Every time I make one I'm impressed with how flaky the pastry is, how delicious the filling is and how simple it was to prepare. A galette is the perfect canvas for any flavors you like, sweet or savory, using the best of whats in season in a different and tasty way. Which leads me to today's galette, caramelized onion goat cheese and zucchini.

Its no secret that the Witch loves the following items:
goat cheese
caramelized onions, deglazed with white wine preferably
zucchini
galette pastry
Which is why they ended up in the best galette I've made to date. Creamy. Smooth. Rich. Savory. Indulgent.
Goat cheese can be slightly grainy so the Witch counteracted that with a small amount of cream cheese. Whipping the two cheeses together with a bit of fresh thyme and a splash of white wine really smoothed out the texture making it perfectly spreadable. Goat cheese has a tang to it which played so nicely off the caramelized onions. I browned the onions slowly in a bit of butter and a few sprigs of thyme. 90 minutes later they were a golden color so I deglazed with white wine, the fond that had formed on the bottom of the pan was dissolved by the wine and redistributed onto the onions, added even more sweet delicious flavor. Garden fresh zucchini were sliced very thin and arranged on top of the cheese and onion layer, adding a pretty punch of color and a delicate flavor. A grating of Asiago cheese over top completed the galette, it also helped it to become golden brown in the oven.

The flavors in this galette are out of this world good. So savory, so rich, so delicious!! Both the husband and the Witch agreed that we'd be more than happy to spend up to $10 a slice for this deliciousness in a French bistro. If you've got some friends or family or just yourself that you'd like to impress with your mad cooking skillz, make this galette. You, and your guests, will be happy you did.


Caramelized onion goat cheese zucchini galette
makes 8 wedges
1 1/2 c flour
1 t table salt
1 stick butter diced
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c ice water
2 t lemon juice
1 small zucchini sliced into 1/8 in slices
2-3 onions sliced thin
2 T butter
splash white wine (1-2T)
7 oz goat cheese, chevere
2 oz cream cheese
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 T fresh grated asiago cheese
1 egg yolk and a splash of water for egg wash


Make dough: In the work bowl of your food processor, add the flour, salt and cold butter. Pulse 10 times (1 second bursts). Mix the sour cream, water and lemon juice together. Add the liquid to the processor and pulse 7-10 more times, until the dough starts to form a ball. Remove dough and press into a large flat circle (about 10 in diameter), cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour minimum.

Caramelize the onions with 2 T of butter in a small dutch oven over medium low heat. This takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to achieve a blond color, do not rush this step! The slow caramelizing process really brings out the sweetness of the onion, rushing this step could result in burned bitter onions. Add 3 sprigs fresh thyme after browned, a pinch of salt and splash of white wine (about 2T) to deglaze. Stir up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and reduce until liquid is syrup consistency.

Mix the goat and cream cheeses together with a pinch of salt, 1 sprig of thyme leaves and a splash of white wine. Whip well with a stand mixer (or hand mixer if that's what you have) until its lightened and fluffy.

Slice the zucchini thin, into 1/8 inch rounds and set aside.

Roll the chilled galette dough out to form a large circular shape (about 14-16 inches diameter). Transfer the rolled dough to a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan for construction.

Spread the goat cheese mixture in the middle, leaving at least 3 inches of pastry on the edges to form the top crust.



Top the cheese with the caramelized onions, removing thyme stems.



Arrange the zucchini slices in an overlapping spiral pattern over top of the onion layer.



Fold the edges of the galette over on top, making a crust/overlap. Fold and pleat the dough as needed to make it round(ish) and create an edge crust to hold everything in while baking. Brush the edges with the egg wash, applying an even coating to assist in browning. Top the entire galette with fresh grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese.



Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes, or until galette is browned. Serve with a small salad if desired. Stand back, wait for the compliments to roll in and bask in the glory :)



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
8 Servings (1 slice per serving)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 353.6
Total Fat 25.0 g
Saturated Fat 15.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 6.6 g
Cholesterol 87.8 mg
Sodium 450.3 mg
Potassium 134.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.4 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 0.3 g
Protein 9.8 g