The galette is the perfect compromise between a pizza and a pie. I like to call it a free-form, rustic, stuffed crust pizza pie. And that’s essentially what it is. It has the flaky crust composition of a tart or pie, and the minimalistic approach of a pizza that doesn’t require any special baking dish. You have complete freedom to use whatever pan you have and you also have the freedom to make it any size your heart and belly desire! Free-form, baby!
Inspiration
I have always adored the rustic look of a galette and the fact that you basically just plop everything in the center of some dough, fold over the extra dough, and bada-bing, a beautiful pastry that can be made savory or sweet. Such an easy concept, right?
The first galette I ever made was a pure experiment if I’m being honest. I had extra dough from making one of my sweet potato pies, and leftover Persian food in my refrigerator, so I thought, why not combine the two and see how it turns out? This helped me understand the technique of folding the dough, and also made me realize how simple of a concept making a galette is. It was a small galette, only about five inches in diameter, but oh man was it delicious (especially topped with some sumac and lemon juice. Ugh, my mouth is watering just reminiscing).
How to make a Veggie Galette with Cashew Cream
Make the crust
The base of this galette is a simple crust made from flour, butter(vegan, of course! I like to use Earth Balance), salt, and ice water. Start by scooping 16 tablespoons(1 cup) of cold butter into the sifted flour and salt. Working rather quickly to ensure the butter stays at a relatively low temperature, use your hands to evenly incorporate the butter with the flour and then slowly add the ice water. Without overworking the dough, form it into a rough ball, and then transfer it to a floured surface or piece of parchment paper to shape it into a disk. Shaping the dough into a disk before chilling it will make rolling it out much easier when the time comes. Cover it in some plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least a half-hour.
It is so important to keep your ingredients cold while making the crust, as well as giving the crust time to chill in the refrigerator before rolling it out. When the butter is cold and encouraged to stay cold with the use of ice water, it creates separate layers in the dough. So, therefore, when the dough is baked, the butter releases some of its moisture, creating pockets of air in between the layers of dough, rendering the flakey crust we all know and love. Since my preferred method of mixing dough is with my hands, I must work rather quickly so my own body heat does not compromise the temperature and ultimate flakiness of the baked result.
Prepare the veggie filling
The filling for this galette is a fanciful fusion of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, cherry tomatoes, artichokes, thyme, and spinach, held together in a smooth and delightful cashew cream sauce. Begin by sauteing the shallots(or any other member of the allium family, such as a yellow onion or leek!), followed by the garlic. Make sure to keep an eye on this as it’s cooking to prevent it from getting burnt and bitter.
Up next are the mushrooms, and thyme, which gets cooked until the mushrooms soften and release their moisture. I kept it simple and used crimini mushrooms, but I’m a total advocate for encouraging you to use whatever kind of mushrooms you prefer and enjoy when cooking, as there are so many different variations to choose from!
Complete the filling by adding the cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts to the pan until they are soft, and then immediately before you turn off the heat, add the spinach. Cover everything so the spinach can wilt in the residual heat of the pan without burning.
Prepare the cashew cream
The cashew cream can be made in a couple of quick minutes by adding boiled or soaked cashews, nutritional yeast(aka, nooch!), lemon juice, garlic powder, miso paste, and pepper to a blender or food processor until smooth. If you can multitask like a f*ckin’ boss, go ahead and make this cashew cream as the mushrooms cook.
However, if this is too much going on at once, and instead you’re a f*ckin’ boss at not overwhelming yourself and taking the risk of burning your mushrooms, I totally hear you. Save yourself a step, and feel free to make the cashew cream a day or two in advance. Allowing it time to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or even overnight will provide time for the flavors to meld, which can actually help the development of the flavor.
I prefer to use raw cashew pieces since they are #1 cheaper and #2 provides more surface area for moisture to penetrate and therefore make for an easier blend and softer end result. I usually soak my cashews for at least 8 hours in a mason jar filled with twice the amount of water than there are nuts, but boiling them in water for at least 10 minutes(the longer the better!) will provide a similar result. I will reiterate that using cashew pieces seems to, in my experience, provide the best results, so if you have whole raw cashews, consider roughly chopping them before soaking or boiling.
A final note on the cashew cream, sometimes when I make it, I will add a tablespoon or two of coconut milk or cream, to make it more rich and creamy, but this is optional. Typically, I will only do this if I have some leftover in my refrigerator from a previous creation.
Assemble the galette
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about ⅛”-¼” thick. You can trim any uneven edges at this point or just leave it as is for a more rustic look. Spread your cashew cream evenly over the dough, while leaving space for the crust to be folded over, and then add the veggie mix on top. In sections of 2″-3″, pick up the edge of the dough and fold it over the toppings to create the crust. Fold each section of the crust over the last, and work in one direction. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just functional! The end result should hold all the toppings in and prevent any ingredients from escaping from the sides. Brush the crust with a little bit of oil or vegan butter and then place it in the oven at 375°F, allowing it to cook for 45-55 minutes.
Serving
Once the galette has finished baking and given a couple of minutes to cool, slice it up like a pizza, top it with a couple of leaves of fresh thyme and enjoy! Give it a little splash of balsamic vinegar or serve with your favorite dipping sauce. This is absolutely perfect for a game night or just some casual noshing with your friends.
Reheating & storing
Reheat this bad boy by popping it in the air-fryer at 375°F for 8 minutes or a conventional oven at 375°F for 20 minutes! Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, or frozen in an air-tight bag until ready. If reheating from frozen, increase the cooking time until it is crispy and warm.
Did you munch on this jack of all tart-pizza-pies?
If so, let me know how it turned out!Â
🤎 M
Veggie Galette
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup vegan butter
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 tsp salt
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup boiled or soaked cashews
- 2 tbsp nooch
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp white miso paste (optional)
- ÂĽ tsp pepper
Veggie Filling
- 16 oz mushrooms
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 can artichoke hearts, quarters
- 1 tsp thyme dried or fresh
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 handfuls spinach
Instructions
Prepare the crust
- Combine sifted flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Add scoops of cold butter to the bowl, one tablespoon at a time.
- Use your hands to fully combine the butter with the flour and salt.
- Add cold water slowly and continue to combine with your hands until a dough forms.
- Place the dough on a floured surface or piece of parchment paper and shape it into a disk.
- Wrap the dough disk in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least a half-hour.
Prepare the filling
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the shallots and saute for 5 minutes, making sure to stir often to avoid burning.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the mushrooms, thyme, and salt and cook for 12 minutes, until the mushrooms soften.
- In the meantime, add all of the cashew cream ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Add the tomatoes and artichokes and cook for an additional 8 minutes, until the tomatoes soften.
- Mix in the spinach and then turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool with the lid on for a couple of minutes until the spinach is fully wilted.
Assemble the galette
- Roll out your dough on a floured surface until the dough is about ¼-⅛" thick. You can trim any uneven edges at this point if you’d like.
- Spread the cashew cream evenly on the dough, leaving about 1 ½ – 2" of crust.
- Add the veggie mix on top of the cream.
- Fold the crust over the toppings, overlapping wherever necessary.
- Lightly brush the crust with butter or a neutral oil.
Bake
- Bake at 375°F for 45-55 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cashew Cream. Feel free to make it a day in advance to save some time. Allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours (or overnight) will provide more time for the flavors to meld, making it taste that much better! Sometimes when making cashew cream, I will add a tablespoon or two of coconut milk to it to make it more creamy and smooth.Â
