I Dream of Gallete

The other night I could not get to sleep. I had bought this incredible goat cheese with honey in it and it has taken over my world. It was a battle within myself I couldn't control, it was keeping me up at night; do I just eat it with a spoon, a glass of Riesling in the other hand? Do I use it to fill ravioli? Do I use it in muffins?? Quiche? Restless and overwhelmed with cheesy thoughts, I got up and went into the kitchen and pulled out a carton of strawberries. While eating them over the sink, I had my Eureka moment... I will make a Strawberry Gallete with Honeyed Goat Cheese. I don't have to tell you that night my dream consisted of goat cheese stuffed strawberries floating down a river of melted butter... that's a whole other issue.
I hope you do try this recipe, it is simple, delicious, and French. Belle!

To Make the Crust:

Blend 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add 1 1/2 sticks chilled, unsalted butter cut into cubes. Pulse until the mixture forms a course meal. Add ice cold water, starting with 1 tablespoon, until the mixture comes together and forms a nice smooth dough. Empty out on plastic wrap, form into a disk, wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

For the Filling:

Slice about 3 cups of fresh strawberries into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

Place the chilled dough in between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll into a 14 inch diameter about 1/8 of an inch thick. Carefully peel the top layer of parchment paper off and place the dough (still has bottom layer of parchment) on an unrimmed baking sheet and chill for another 15 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of strawberry preserves on the dough and then dollop generously with the honeyed goat cheese. Make sure you leave a border of dough of about 1 1/2 inches.

Next, layer the strawberries in concentric circles, overlapping slightly. Brush the top with a little bit more preserves.

With the border of dough, fold up over the fruit. The dough will naturally want to fold into a fan type pattern.
Brush the crust with milk.

In a preheated 425 degree F oven, place the gallete on the center rack and bake for about 20-25 minutes; until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Remove from oven, drizzle with honey and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.




*Don't have/want goat cheese? Use mascarpone or cream cheese, or a mix of both. This would be wonderful with peaches, nectarines, pears, apricots, or apples. Be creative and have fun!