Baker's Corner: Sweet Onion Galette with Gruyere and Thyme

It was somewhere around the middle of last year that I started obsessing about making a galette. It took this long to finally happen. My original plan was for a heirloom tomato galette because all the pictures I had seen looked so vibrant and gorgeous. But then I saw a plum galette followed by an apricot-cherry galette and then a strawberry galette and those looked stunning too. With so many possibilities, my obsession turned into a delicious confusion 😊

It is widely believed that a pie is intimidating and meant for perfectionists. But a galette? It is the cracked crust and irregular shape that makes it so appealing. Call it a free-form pie, a rustic tart or simply a delicious flaky treat. Any way you roll it, a galette is the perfect dish for the imperfect cook. Even though there's pastry-making involved, the crust is more forgiving. A little leftover dough is an easy fix for any pastry tears. Not to mention, a galette cooks faster and more evenly when compared to a pie. So you can clearly see why I chose a galette over it's more daunting counterpart.

Yesterday, I made up my mind that I would wait no longer and dive right into it. I still wasn't sure on the kind of filling to use. I wanted to do something savoury because I've already featured a sweet dish this month (check out my last blog post). So for one last time, I scrutinized the savoury recipe category and out of the blue, settled on this one because it looked irresistible, had commonly available ingredients and seemed pretty easy. Aside from the fact that the whole thing is made from scratch, it has a buttery crust, onions, herbs AND cheese....come on! It doesn’t get any better than this, does it? Heirloom tomato galette and fruity galettes, you can wait a little while longer 😄

The filling in this Sweet Onion Galette needs just 8 ingredients, the dough needs just 45 minutes to chill and it bakes in under an hour (both of which are idle times for you) so this dish is fuss-free and comes together fairly quickly. Simple, rustic and honest. Gotta love that right?

This was our brunch today and it was such a satisfying one. Check out the recipe for this scrumptiousness and don't waste a second before trying it out for yourself 😊

Sweet Onion Galette with Gruyere and Thyme

Preparation time: 45 mins; Baking time: ~1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Yield: 8 wedges; Serves: 3-4

Recipe category: Main course/Side dish (French)

Recipe level: Easy

Recipe source: Adapted from here

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1/2 cup salted butter

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

1/3 cup cold water - approx.

For the filling:

2 tbsps salted butter

4 cups (~ 3 large onions) yellow onion, diced 

2 tsps garlic, grated or minced

2 tsps fresh thyme

Sea salt & coarse black peppercorn (to taste)

2 tbsps all purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

Method:

1. Begin by preparing the dough. Using a hand held or box grater, grate butter into a small bowl, then freeze for 10 minutes. While the butter freezes, combine flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl.

2. When ready, whisk cold grated butter into flour mixture until a mealy texture takes hold, then slowly begin adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough takes shape.

3. Next, gather dough in a ball and transfer to lightly floured surface before shaping into a flattened round.  Tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 45 minutes until dough is firm and cold.

Note: I prepared the dough the previous day and left it to chill in the fridge. Doing this breaks up your work and chills the dough better

4. While the dough chills, prepare the ingredients for the filling.

5. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high flame, then add the onions, garlic, thyme, and salt & pepper, sautéing until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

6. Reduce flame to low, then add in flour, stirring quickly until well combined. Once flour is evenly incorporated slowly add heavy cream, combining gradually until a thick mixture forms. Allow all ingredients to simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

7. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkling the top with a touch of flour.

8. With a floured rolling-pin roll out the chilled dough into a 1/8" thick circle (this part can be a little difficult), then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure that the edges are not too thick. Sprinkle 1/3 of the gruyere in a circular motion over the rolled-out dough (leaving a roughly 2" border along the edges), then top with onions and remaining cheese. Next, on an angle fold up the dough around the onions, then brush dough edges with beaten egg.

9. Bake galette for 45 min to 1 hour until the crust is golden and the cheese has just begun to brown.

10. Serve immediately garnished with additional thyme (if desired). A salad on the side would be great too.

Notes:

• You can use fontina, provolone or gouda cheese instead of gruyere
• Every oven is different, so begin watching the galette at the 45-minute mark for doneness
• You can make the dough up to three days ahead, but this galette is the best served the same day it is baked

Cheers,

Megha