I love shopping at farmer’s markets. I mean, I know that everyone loves shopping local and buying fresh food blah blah blah, but I can’t help it. I love that at each farmer’s stand, there is the possibility of a new recipe, a new idea, an inspiration that I never would have thought of standing in the grocery store sandwiched between bags of Dole salad that are probably filled with who-knows-what kind of bacteria and cherry tomatoes imported from Chile, or somewhere equally foreign to me.
Let’s get one thing straight I am not saying I’m above consuming bagged greens or Chilean tomatoes in the depths of frost-encased February when a farmer’s market seems like an impossible luxury. Just that…well…they aren’t inspiring.
Now, fat, fresh asparagus fresh from a farm within driving distance? Yes, please.
Since I already sound like a food snob here I’m going to stay on this soap box for another minute and tell you why you should make your own pastry.
If you have a rolling pin (or something that could function as a rolling pin, like a wine bottle!) then you really don’t even need a mixer to make pastry, although it sure is easier. I borrowed inspiration for the pastry from both Smitten Kitchen and Dorie Greenspan but the recipe was a make-it-up-as-you-go deal.
If you’re scratching your head wondering what a “galette” is, well, it is a general term used in French to designate various types of flat, round or freeform pastry. I like to think of it as an open-faced pie or tart.
Asparagus & Goat Cheese Galette:
What You Need:
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (about the size of dice)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
For the Filling:
4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
1 pound fresh asparagus (about 1 dozen spears – mine were pretty thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground, if possible)
How-To:
1. Make pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter to the mixture and using a pastry blender (or your fingers – it works, I swear!) cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal (you should be left with small lumps of butter no larger than the size of individual peas).
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips (this recipe is not for the newly-manicured) mix in the sour cream mixture until lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid. Pat the lumps together to form them into a ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour to chill dough – this will make it less sticky when it’s time to roll out.
3. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Once dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and on a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Crumble goat cheese over the surface of the pastry, leaving a 1 1/2 inch rim (like you would a pizza for the crust). Top the goat cheese with asparagus and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. and top with , onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
4. Fold the border over the asparagus/cheese mixture, rolling the edges as needed to make the dough fit snugly over the vegetables. The center of the pastry will be open. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until dough has turned golden-brown and cheese is melted.
Serves 4. Recommended serving: pair with a big green salad and a glass of crisp white wine, such as Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc or even a light glass of champagne.
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! This looks very similar to one of my Foodie Friday features. I want some!
I agree- there is something amazing about buying local. And this whole meal…just amazing! I can’t wait until I can have some goat cheese post baby! Delicious!
Maris, I like the simplicity galette, asparagus and goat cheese, very elegantly presented and so tasty.
Have a wonderful week ahead
That looks beautiful! I agree with you wholeheartedly about farmers’ market inspiration, and to be honest, I’ve been stashing away galette recipes for awhile now…usually they are of the sweet variety, so I like this savory version.
Lovely galette, a great summer lunch on a patio.
Since it’s asparagus season, I’ve seen bunches of asparagus for 99 cents at the farmers’ markets! I will have to make this soon.
Hi Maris! I don’t think I’ve heard “galette” before, but when I see the picture, it looks familiar. I love your simple asparagus and goat cheese version since you can taste each ingredient so well when we don’t use too many at once. I’m not vegetarian but I’ll be happy without eating meat when it comes to simple food like this… delicious.
oh I’m loving this combination of flavors!
That looks awesome! I’ve been wanting to make a savory galette since I love sweet ones so much but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one until now. Ah, the possibilities are endless. Yours looks fantastic, and our local asparagus is ready right now. I’ll have to give it a try
Hi Maris, oh my, this looks amazing!!! Yay for local fruit/veg coming into season!!!
Nice reminder for me to make some pastry
So pretty! Looks delish! I love asparagus, and I just pureed a bunch for my 9mo old…we’ll see if she likes it!
this seriously looks so incredibly tasty, i cannot wait to try this out.
This sounds divine! We love asparagus.
I always love how rustically beautiful galettes are. The addition of goat cheese in this recipe sounds fantastic!
This looks lovely and I do have some asparagus waiting to be used…..thanks for sharing!
Yum! I make something similar using gruyere & frozen puff pastry. I need to challenge myself to make pastry from scratch more often. I avoid pies like the plague but it’s not as hard as I make it out to be.
Thanks for sharing!
Yeay for fresh food/produce from the farm, I am totally with you on that!:) Unfortunately, living in the city means I have to make do with what I see in the grocery aisles and shelves, and going through the labels to see what they put in those packed and alleged ‘fresh produce from the farm’ on the label and wondering what kind of bacteria lives in my food:p
I giggled the minute I read your line on that because it was just what most of us go through, and seriously, you are tempting me with that line on fresh asparagus! If you’re not careful, I’m gonna make you send me a whole delivery of asparagus from the farm (but then again, it would reach here a few days and they need to be packed, and well…)
I like the sound of the galette, it looks very simple and the type of comfort food that anyone wouldn’t mind having;)
I also can’t disagree about the worth of farmer’s markets… but I can’t say the farmer’s market near me is worth it. I was so bummed when I went for the opening day two weeks ago. It seems one farm has the monopoly on Long Island markets, and they take advantage with the prices — 99 cent aspargus in my dreams; it was $4.00 for a tiny bunch. I went ready to spend a little extra for local, but I left without making a single purchase. I just couldn’t afford it! One of my friends suggested checking it out again later in the season… we’ll see! I’m glad I started a garden this year…
This looks simple enough for a dinner for two. Love the seasonal asparagus! Happy Cooking!
Oooh yeah. Although my first thought when it comes to galette is “sweet!” this looks very lovely. And right on to local asparagus – they let the stuff at the store get so woody and large, it annoys me:)
I actually have mild withdrawals when I don’t do our local farmers markets on Sat. I enjoy seeing all those familiar faces with their fresh produce that I know they grew. It is like staying in touch with an old friend and food is involved! I love galettes because they are free form, can take almost any shape and still be rustic and delicious. Nice recipe.
I keep seeing these open-faced tarts with asparagus–I looove asparagus, so I’ve been itching to make them! Asparagus is awful hard to slice though, how do you serve it? I imagine butchering it horribly if I tried to slice it, heh.
This looks fantastic Maris, Love tarts (as you know!) and love asparagus, so perfect pairing!
Ahh! Be still my heart. I was obsessed with Gallettes when I was in France. I am determined to try to figure out how to make a gluten free version as I think gallettes would be a great ap for the Julia Child night I co-host with my aunt in the fall. Then my family could understand the glory that is a well-made gallette. I talked abouth them ALL THE TIME when I was in Paris. MMmmmmm!
That’s a rustic and delicious looking tart! Love the asparagus.
It looks beautiful and i LOVE asparagus. It makes me happy!
This is really interesting. I never would have thought of using asparagus like this.
I wish we had a farmer’s market that was decent. This looks delectable!
Goat cheese makes such a wonderful base for tarts and galettes, looks absolutely delicious.
AHH you have combined two of my favorite things in the world! perfect dinner for later this weekend!
What a wonderful way to use asparagus. The crop here is starting to thin, but I have enough left to give this a try.This sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Maryi
I have never made a galette, but I want to! This one sounds perfect, and they look so beautiful and rustic.
SO beautiful Maris! I’m with you on Farmer’s Markets. Sometimes grocery store produce is unavoidable. But when the summer months hit and Farmer’s Markets are abundant – cooking gets so much more fun!
Looks amazing!!!!!!!!!! I miss eating asparagus….they don’t have it here…
This is beautiful. What a great way to enjoy both the great taste of asparagus and goat cheese.
Maris, this looks so delicious and really has opened my eyes to making savory galettes. I’ve only ever made them sweet but definitely want to try something like this soon! Thanks for the inspiration and the fantastic recipe.
Such a gorgeous dish and so perfect for summer.
Couldn’t agree more about farmers markets and local food, it just feels right on a really basic level. Love the look of your tart, I’d buy one of those atva Market if you were selling them!
What a wonderful way to enjoy freshly picked asparagus! We have a wonderful farmers’ market not too far away and I’m sad to say I haven’t had time to visit on the days it is open.
Love these ingredients…that’s my kind of galette!
Love those fat tender spears of asparagus in this galette! It looks delicious.
I LOVE goat cheese and asparagus together! This looks so fancy
I find inspiration at the farmers market as well. What is missing from our market is zucchini blossoms for stuffing this time of year.
Oh, that looks amazing, I love rustic galettes and tarts. The asparagus/goat cheese combo sounds perfect, too =)
I am a big fan of galettes but I have only made sweet ones. I have the goat cheese but may have to sub the vegetable. This is one, I really want to make. Thanks for sharing it.
asparagus is definitely inspiring
fabulous creation!
Love this idea for a savory galette. I will likely try one with tomatoes as well!
galettes are my FAVORITE!!!!! this sounds like one i’d be all over–goat cheese & asparagus?! love it!
This sounds so good-asparagus is one of my favorite veggies, and I love goat cheese. I haven’t made a galette before, so this may be my first one!
Oh I definitely need to try this!
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