Summer

Tomato Cheddar Galette

August 20, 2016
5
5 Ratings
Photo by Posie Harwood
  • Makes one 10" tart
Author Notes

A crisp, buttery pastry crust is folded up around ripe sliced tomatoes. A thin layer of grainy mustard and cheddar cheese adds extra flavor to this simple, beautiful summer dish. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

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Ingredients
  • For the crust
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese powder (optional)
  • 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick)
  • 5 tablespoons ice cold water
  • For the filling
  • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or other flavorful melting cheese, like Gruyere)
  • 4 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pinch flaky sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or dried thyme
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Whisk together the flour, salt, and cheese powder (if using). Note: The cheese powder is optional but is a really awesome addition -- use the extra in biscuit dough or over popcorn!
  3. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is in coarse, uneven pea-sized lumps. Drizzle the ice water over top and stir with a fork until the dough just begins to come together.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a surface and begin to gently knead and press it together, turning it over onto itself and handling it carefully to avoid warming up the butter. If there are too many dry spots, drizzle a tablespoon or two more ice water over top (a spray bottle actually works really well here to evenly disperse the water).
  5. Once the dough comes together, press it gently into a disc. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes until warm. Otherwise, go ahead and roll it out right away.
  6. Roll the dough out into roughly a 13" circle. It should be very thin, but if there are any tears, make sure to patch them so the filling doesn't seep out.
  7. Spread the mustard on top of the dough circle, leaving about 1 1/2" inches bare on on the edges. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the mustard. Transfer the dough circle to a baking sheet.
  8. Arrange the sliced tomatoes neatly in circles on top of the grated cheese. Fold the edges of the pastry up, pleating as you go to seal the edges. Check to make sure there are no spaces or tears where the filling can seep out.
  9. Drizzle the olive oil over top of the tomatoes, then sprinkle on the flaky salt and herbs.
  10. Bake the galette for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
  11. Let cool slightly, and serve warm.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

14 Reviews

cathy C. September 26, 2023
absolutely delicious! The simplicity of this recipe means that using great quality butter makes a huge difference so splurge and enjoy
Sea G. February 10, 2023
The tomato tart has become one of my favorite recipes, as well as a staple in my kitchen! After making the tart the first time, I was addicted. The buttery thin crust, coupled with fresh tomatoes and drizzled with quality olive oil and fresh thyme just bursts with summer flavor. In the following weeks after first making the tarts, I brought them to a few gatherings, and now I receive frequent requests from those hosting parties to bring "my" tomato tarts. I can eat a whole tart myself, so I always make extra to be sure I have enough to share! Thank you for sharing this recipe, which I'm sure will be enjoyed by my family for many generations. Ellie Mercier
Sea G. June 8, 2022
The best tomato tart recipe I've ever tasted! The buttery crust, paired with grainy mustard, fresh tomatoes and herbs, and a touch of cheese and quality olive oil pleases everyone's pallet! I cook and deliver dinner every two weeks to my adult children and their families, and this dish is always a favorite! Ellie M
Sea G. September 2, 2019
To demonstrate my sincere appreciation for the recipe, I've baked numerous tasty Food52 galettes over the past two (very hot) months from locally grown, ripe Maryland tomatoes. A truly addictive dish! However, since I prefer an extremely buttery crust, I omit the cheese in the dough, and rather than cheddar, I substitute a milder cheese for the topping, such as grated Fontina or Parmasan. Topped off with a few grinds of sea salt and a healthy drizzle of good-quality olive oil, the taste is fit for a king or queen. I've enjoyed the tart for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as a midnight snack! THANK YOU :)
Tina H. November 24, 2018
I have a load of tomatoes still (surprisingly living in NH and it's late November)! We made this last night and used chevre and pecorino romano and added some crispy bacon. Huge hit! Thank you for the recipe!
Rita G. July 17, 2018
Made half a recipe with great success. Baked the galette on parchment and directly on a baking stone. The delicious crisp crust and flavorful tomato filling made a perfect lunch with a salad.
Next time I’m trying pesto instead of mustard and firm mozzarella instead of cheddar. Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the recipe.
ChefJune August 31, 2016
Super yum! I'm sure it's a good idea to drain or blot the tomatoes to minimize their moisture on the crust.
Liz B. August 30, 2016
Made this tonight, so delicious! I baked it at 400F, and used 1 ts of nutritional yeast in the dough (looked at the comments later and saw that someone else thought to do that too!); I don't know that I could taste it in the dough, but it certainly didn't hurt. I might increase the amount of nutritional yeast next time. It blended fine with the flour and salt, no need to get out the food processor. I used Swiss cheese, as it was what I had, whole-grain mustard, and sprinkled fresh dill on the tomatoes before baking. Crust stayed perfectly crisp (I salted and semi-drained the tomato slices on paper towels first, and it was pretty filling with an over-easy egg on my galette slice. Such a great use of summer's last, best tomatoes!
Somia August 29, 2016
This was delicious! Next time I will bake at 400-425F because my crust didn't brown enough. Otherwise perfect!
I used this recipe for the crust (omitting the sugar): http://www.marthastewart.com/857628/pate-brisee
MiriShira August 29, 2016
Do you think you could use nutritional yeast in the crust in place of the cheese powder?
Posie (. August 29, 2016
Hmm, interesting idea! It certainly will have a different flavor profile since the cheddar cheese powder is quite potent and sharp, but I'd give it a shot! I think it would work fine in the dough -- the only problem might be getting it to distribute evenly since the flakes of nutritional yeast are large than a powder. Maybe grind it into a finer powder in a food processor first?
Michelle August 28, 2016
This was great. We overloaded it with tomatoes and used an Immaculate Baking Co refrigerated crust. Absolutely killer!
Barbara C. August 28, 2016
I have a recipe for a tomato cheese tart that require the draining of the salted tomatoes on paper towels 30 minutes prior to assembling the tart. I'm wondering if this tart ends up with a soggy crust since the tomatoes are not drained first.
Posie (. August 29, 2016
Actually, I had no issues with the crust getting soggy at all. I think the mustard and cheddar base helped a bit, and because it's only one layer of tomatoes, the liquid does cook off (compared to a deeper dish pie where more liquid will collect and sit).