Friday, May 7, 2010

Rustic, But Not Humble: Caramelized Onion & Emmental Galette

To be honest, I am not 100% sure that this savory bundle of gooey cheese and sweet onions, encased in a flavorful herbed crust,  can properly be called a galette. Some say that a galette is a round, flat cake, which this is not; others define it as a free-form tart, which this clearly is. But, to paraphrase Shakespeare,  a rustic tart by any other name would taste as good.

As many of the best things are, this is a simple dish with relatively few ingredients. It's a perfect picnic food, and it would make a beautiful addition to a Mother's Day brunch. I mixed dried fines herbes - a blend of  parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, and marjoram  -  into the dough, which worked well with the olive and walnut oils I used instead of butter. The nuttiness of the walnut oil was an addictive contrast to the sweet caramelized onions.  I'm ashamed to admit that I could have eaten this whole thing in one sitting!

Rustic Onion & Cheese Tart
For the Filling:
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
6 ounces Emmental cheese, grated
dash of balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste
 
For the Dough:
 1 cup organic AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 heaping tsp dried fines herbes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup walnut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter, oil, and a pinch or two of salt. Put the heat on low and allow the onions to cook, stirring occasionally, until they're caramelized - about 45 minutes. Keep the heat low and don't let them brown! When they're nearly finished, add a dash of balsamic. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, for the dough, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and slowly add the water and oil, stirring to incorporate. Give the dough a few turns until it comes together in a smooth ball - if it's too dry add a bit more water, if it's too wet, add a bit of flour. Wrap the ball in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or so.  When you're ready, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 10 inch round. Transfer to parchment paper. Place half of the cheese in the center, with the onions on top, then cheese, followed by the onions, and so on:
Be careful not to overfill the tart. Next, fold the edges in, leaving part of the filling exposed:
Brush the dough with olive oil and top with a bit more cheese:
Slide the whole thing (on the parchment paper) onto a baking tray and bake at 375 until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly - about 30 - 40 minutes. Enjoy with a salad and a glass of wine.

Whether you have kids or pets or both, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!





32 comments:

  1. trix! Your galette is superb! I love the combo of caramelized onions and cheese, espe emmenthal, one of my favorites!
    hey, i wanted to tell you that I always mention where i find things and the loquats I found at the middle-eastern grocer, I thought I mentioned it; don't hesitate to ask me if I forget!
    Take care and have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. well, i think we can still call your dish "galette". I like caramelized onion, especially on tart (pissaladiere style). it is rustic, like your galette, but so tasty, that you do not need anything else to enjoy (except for a glass of wine maybe)...have a good day...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the ingredients in the dough that dough sounds fabulous, going to try it and stuff it will herbs and spinach as an alternative .....cant wait to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't care what you call it... if it's cheese and onion in pastry, I'll definitely have a piece!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nooo, don't be ashamed to admit you could eat the whole thing at once - I am pretty sure all of us looking at these photos would happily do the same! Caramelised onion is hard to resist, and I wholeheartedly approve of the extra melted cheese on top :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful dish. I love the flavors at work here. Gorgeous photos. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. looks great love galettes and its cool the shape you made with it lol

    Have a great weekend

    ReplyDelete
  8. The combination of sweet onions and Emmental cheese sounds terrific, what a delicious galette!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Trix, this looks just amazing, like all the dishes you do.Simply gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Galette is new to me but I love the filling and the open top. Looks very delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This dish had me at gooey cheese! It looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love your pastry dough. The spices are a very clever addition. And I especially like the idea of a savory galette

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG! I don't even know how to start telling you how delish this sounds. Will definitely give it a try. Yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  14. love that you used different oils and spices for the dough. And even I would have this in one sitting.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yeah, I could eat that in one sitting too..no problem. Alas my Mother's Day menu is already planned..but this is something my dad would LOVE and his birthday is coming up!...if I don't get to it first!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, Trix, I truly love this! The dough must be wonderful with spelt. And the filling is simple yet effective.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You can call this galette since it's flat, there are many different kinds of galettes anyway :o) that looks really hearty and a perfect meal in itself! it's really starting to make me hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Trix...delicious and healthy galette ! Can I have a piece please...salivating *wink

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hello Trix, this is one amazing galette. I love that you added fines herbes to your dough. And of course you can't beat cheese and caramelized onions. Delicious!

    eNJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

    Nisrine

    ReplyDelete
  20. I like this savory version of galette, the combination sounds spectacular! I would eat the entire thing in one sitting too!

    ReplyDelete
  21. This made me laugh. Trix. Last time I tried a gallette it had a hissy fit in the oven and sort of opened up... ferocious mess. I think with all the great things in your dough that couldn't possibly happen!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Call it whatever you want - this looks fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Dont care what you call it lol just looks incredible!!! Goey cheese and sweet onions, how could you ever not just love it!

    ReplyDelete
  24. now don't fret over if wanting to eat the whole thing in one sitting - you know I would ...LOL ...great recipe

    ReplyDelete
  25. Mmmmm!! Browned onions and Emmental! YUM. A superb combination Trix :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. This looks wonderful. A rose by any name... I stumbled on your blog by chance and had intended only to say hello. I was lured by some of your earlier posts and stayed far longer than I had intended. I really like the food you serve up here. I'll be back as often as is possible. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a lovely dish! Putting herbs in the dough is truly the way to go - not to mention the gooey cheese and onions!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Every time I come over here you have the most beautiful dishes that I haven't even ever heard of. This is gorgeous, I love any type of bread dish, but especially ones that have herbs in the dough. That makes the best type of bread!

    ReplyDelete
  29. That looks so good, I love the pastry, galettes are so elegant.

    ReplyDelete
  30. That looks so delicious. I could eat my computer screen.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh this looks really yummy! I made one the other dya with persimmons & pineapple! Sounds weird, isn't it! haha.... Hope you have a great day!
    Blessings,
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete